Story | 10 Aug, 2016

The Sixaola Binational Commission Promotes Participatory Planning in the Territory

Harboring six protected areas and six indigenous territories, the Sixaola river basin is characterized by biological and cultural diversity. However, social and environmental problems in this area require coordinated, binational attention due to the connectivity existing between Talamanca, Changuinola, and Bocas del Toro.

Photo: UICN

Photo: Monica Quesada / UICN

On July 13 and 14, 2016, participatory planning sessions were held in Panama and Costa Rica with government organizations, civil society and indigenous peoples in the municipalities of Talamanca, Changuinola, and Bocas del Toro.

During the activity, strategic lines were defined for each development component: socio-cultural, economic-productive, environmental, and political-institutional. Participants assessed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in each of these areas. In August, the results of this analysis will be used as input to define strategic objectives for transboundary development and begin programming concrete activities.

This initiative of the Sixaola Binational Commission is distinctive in that it uses previous assessments as the foundation for a coordinated, binational intervention proposal that incorporates the vision of civil society, not just that of government institutionalism.

The activity was supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Central American Strategy for Rural Territorial Development and the Costa Rica-Panama Agreement on Cooperation for Border Development.

More info: nazareth.porras@iucn.org