The indigenous resguardos of Colombia : their contribution to conservation and sustainable forest use

Colombia’s policy on its indigenous people includes recognizing their rights relating to political and administrative autonomy, land tenure, education and health. This progressive policy has been implemented through the establishment of indigenous reserves called resuguaros, which recognizes the role of traditional indigenous management mechanisms for the conservation of the environment. The greatest impact is in the tropical rainforests of the Colombian Amazon region where more than 20 million hectares are declared Resguardo Indigena. This publication shows both the problems and the potential of this system of land tenure in relation to the conservation of the tropical rainforest. It also includes a proposal for the implementation of a financial mechanism to support reinforcement of the resguardos.