Recognizing the rich biocultural diversity of Central America as well as the social, economical and legal marginalization of its native people, this paper calls for the strengthening of indigenous people's legal rights to their land and natural resources. Though the number of legally protected areas in Central America has more than doubled in the last 30 years, conservation goals have not been met and the authors attribute these failures to widespread disregard for indigenous forms of land organization, management and governance.

The paper reviews an increasing international discourse on the links between biodiversity conservation and community rights. It cites Agreement 169 of the ILO (International Labor Organization); the World Parks Conference in 2003 in Durban, South Africa; and the Second Mesoamerican Congress on Protected Areas. Stressing the social and monetary burden of conservation that excludes people, the authors call for 1) land rights for communities in CCAs, 2) recognition of indigenous and traditional culture in protected areas, 3) broad ecosystem approaches to conservation, and 4) in-depth analysis of tourism in order to support human rights.

Examples of some Central American CCAs are given. Panama is identified as a one of the few countries in Central America with legislature for the creation of precincts (comaracas) granting land and resource rights to indigenous people. The wetlands and turtle nesting grounds of the Ngobe-Bugle Comarca in Panama are governed by traditional authorities. The Kuna Yala Comarca, in accordance with its founding laws and traditional land use practices, has its own protected area featuring 253,435 ha of land and sea divided into five different management zones. Also, Nicaragua's autonomous regions are governed by local community representatives and cover 43% of the national territory. Inhabited chiefly by indigenous people and featuring different levels of management or strict conservation, Nicaraguan CCAs feature high amounts of in tact forests, watershed zones, lakes and wetlands. Examples of effective community mapping by and for indigenous people in Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua are provided.

To open more opportunities for CCAs and indigenous people in the region, the authors suggest 1) collaboration by governments, NGOs and indigenous peoples to define and agree upon key areas for sustainable management; 2) building local capacity to map traditional territories to support planning and elucidate legal issues; and 3) revision of legal frameworks to improve their interpretation and implementation tools.

Finally, main opportunity/challenge areas for Central American CCAs are identified: 1) global-local information exchange and clear delimitation of levels and forms of government; 2) implementation of CCAs as intersectoral benefit tools; 3) recognition of their cost/benefit efficiency; 4) social strengthening approaches that draws from development, agricultural, cooperative and other sectors; 5) integration of CCA initiatives into local people's life plans; and 6) political-legal frameworks that fundamentally recognize the multi-cultural character of each country.