Tortuguero Community Joins the Call of the Weaving Networks Project for Conservation, Rights, and Environmental Justice

• Capacity-building, led by CATIE, aims to strengthen the skills of environmental defenders.

From June 4 to 7, more than 150 people connected to the Tortuguero forest (Costa Rica) took part in presentation and training spaces offered by the team of the Weaving Networks project, implemented by CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center).

The events were jointly organized by the institution and SINAC, and took place at the Caribbean Northeast Wetland Auditorium of Tortuguero National Park and at SINAC’s office in Guápiles.

These activities, developed under the project’s capacity-building component, are part of its outreach, awareness, and engagement strategy.

Weaving Networks is an initiative supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented by IUCN and CATIE. It is part of the European Union’s Mesoamerican Great Forests Program, with a regional scope that includes the Maya Forest, La Mosquitia, the Trifinio Dry Corridor, Indio Maíz–Tortuguero, La Amistad, and Darién territories.

Training Environmental Leaders

The capacity-building component led by CATIE aims to develop the competencies of environmental defenders, as well as key actors directly and indirectly involved in their work. This process is grounded in Principle 10 of the Rio+20 Declaration and the Escazú Agreement, incorporating a gender and rights-based approach.

The team is currently designing the training and awareness program, which is based on a needs and capacity assessment conducted between March and April 2025. This assessment involved 112 participants—64 through focus groups in Petén, Panama, Trifinio, and Turrialba, and 48 through online surveys and interviews.

Environmental Purpose

The training activities are set to begin on August 8 this year, with a curriculum organized into three modules covering environmental human rights, forest environmental governance, and threat management for environmental human rights defenders.

One of the program’s key features is the development of soft skills, particularly in conflict management and the promotion of a culture of peaceful coexistence. The training will also adopt a "train-the-trainers" approach to expand the program’s reach and sustainability.

The Weaving Networks project reflects CATIE’s commitment to an integrated vision that links forest conservation and sustainable use with the promotion and protection of the human rights of those who live in these ecosystems and whose livelihoods are closely tied to the forest.