ABC-LA Annual Report: September 2013 – August 2014

Addressing Biodiversity-Social Conflict in Latin America (ABC-LA) is a USAID-funded project with a two-year base period and three one-year option periods, for a possible total of five years. ABC-LA is an innovative project that seeks to address negative impacts associated with extractive activities on biodiversity and vulnerable communities through interventions focused on improved local capacities for enhanced conflict mitigation and natural resource governance, as well as improved land tenure and property rights in focal areas. This is the ABC-LA project’s first annual report covering the period from September 2013 through August 2014.

Project Goal

The ABC-LA project goal is “to improve indigenous/minority community and local/regional governmental capacities to better address conflicts (potential and ongoing) in the extractives sector that may negatively impact areas of significant biodiversity, thus leading to greater inclusion of marginalized groups.” The project will cover areas of high biodiversity in Colombia and Peru where there is an ongoing or potential conflict between the extractive sector and vulnerable indigenous or local communities. The focal components are biologically significant areas (BSAs) and vulnerable local and indigenous communities.