Bridging divides through environmental collaboration and knowledge exchange in Solano, Colombia

A fragile balance in the forest

The Solano landscape, spanning vast forested areas and watersheds, is home to both Indigenous and peasant communities. While the Porvenir Kananguchal Indigenous Reserve holds formal land titles, peasant communities often rely on informal access. Peasants seeking timber and pasture often encroach on the reserve, leading to tensions about resource use between them and the Indigenous communities. The region has been victim of decades of conflict and presence of armed groups. This has created vulnerable governance structures in the landscape and a lack of trust between the different actors.

Despite these challenges, both groups recognize their shared dependency on the land and thus their responsibility in conserving the forest. Indigenous leaders possess generations of knowledge on forest management, while peasant communities seek strategies to restore degraded land. This common interest provided the starting point for intercultural dialogues, facilitated by Tropenbos Colombia.

Building trust and agreements

Tropenbos Colombia, in partnership with Indigenous and peasant leaders, facilitated a series of intercultural dialogues. In the meetings between the villages Cabaña, Cabañita, Potreros and the Porvenir Kananguchal Indigenous Reserve, both peasants and Indigenous communities shared their interest to care for the environment and solve problems related to access to natural resources. There willingness for environmental collaboration led to:

• Defining clear boundaries: A community-led effort marked Indigenous land with signs and pathways to prevent misunderstandings and future disputes.
• Sustainable resource use: Indigenous leaders agreed to authorize limited timber extraction for essential infrastructure, ensuring the forest was not overexploited.
• Responsible cattle management: Peasant communities committed to improved grazing practices that respected indigenous land rights.
• Exchange of knowledge on forest management and food security: The desire of the farmers to enrich their livestock production system with food production led them to request a learning space around the indigenous agricultural system that involves maintaining a dynamic cycle with the forest. This exchange has been accompanied by a playful cultural exchange of music and dance. Tropenbos Colombia supported the implementation of these agreements, providing resources for land demarcation, signage, and technical assistance. This process not only supported environmental management, but also built trust between the communities.

Strengthening resilience through environmental collaboration

The impacts of these agreements are not only focused on sustainable land and forest use. Peasant communities have expressed increased interest in Indigenous knowledge, particularly in sustainable restoration practices. The Indigenous communities now accept the sustainable activities of the peasant communities in the landscape. Additionally, both groups are exploring financial mechanisms such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) to further incentivize conservation. These shared activities show the impact of environmental collaboration on social cohesion and peaceful coexistence in the landscape.

While Solano is not at the centre of Colombia’s armed conflicts, the presence of illegal armed groups creates an underlying sense of insecurity. The solution to the broader conflict is beyond the reach of local communities and depends on the ups and downs of the peace negotiations between the government and the illegal armed groups. Strengthening local governance and collaboration reduces the vulnerability of the communities. Solidarity and social cohesion in the landscape will make it harder for external actors to exploit divisions, thus creating a more resilient landscape for both people and forests.

Lessons learned and the path forward

One of the most significant lessons from this initiative is to focus on building trust between the stakeholders in the landscape. Although trust cannot be created overnight, ongoing efforts to support environmental collaboration and knowledge exchange can have positive impacts on mutual trust and social cohesion. Through this project, the different stakeholders in the landscape recognised each other’s strengths and work on shared goals for the landscape. This did not only support the natural environment, but also fosters peaceful coexistence between the communities.

Looking ahead, Tropenbos Colombia will continue to support knowledge exchanges, governance strengthening, and exploring new opportunities to foster social cohesion through environmental collaboration. The intercultural agreements in Solano are a strong example of the power of environmental cooperation in overcoming tensions. By aligning conflict sensitive conservation efforts and intercultural dialogues, these communities are not only protecting their shared landscape but also creating a more peaceful future.