The cultural context of biodiversity conservation - Oapen

The local context
tions as a counterinsurgency campaign, the majority of victims of the acts committed
by the army were not combatants of the guerrilla, but civilians (Stavenhagen 2003).
Throughout the period of political violence and civil strife, hundreds of villages were
destroyed entirely. In the course of the conflict that became commonly known as la
violencia, some 200,000 citizens were killed (Flores Arenales 1999: 14). In the violent
years of the so-called scorched earth policy, the genocidal practices also included the widespread
tactic of ›disappearing‹ people. 13 The state violence led to a massive dislocation
of the rural population; more than one million persons were internally displaced and
an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 persons sought refuge abroad, in particular in Mexico
and the United States (Stepputat 1999: 54f.). 14
4.1.3 From past to present
In 1996 negotiations between the government and the guerrilla organisation URNG
set an end to the armed conflict, which had continued for over 30 years. With the
signing of peace agreements, democratic structures were formally re-established.
Within the framework of the peace process, a number of agreements were worked
out, which entailed an agenda of substantial accords aimed at eliminating the major
sources of social and economic conflict within Guatemalan society. These agreements
contain commitments to acknowledge the indigenous cultures by stating that
the indigenous peoples have been particularly subject to de facto levels of discrimination, exploitation
and injustice, on account of their origin, culture and language and that, like many other sectors of the
national community, they have to endure unequal and unjust treatment and conditions on account of
their economic and social status [...] this historical reality has affected and continues to affect the peoples
profoundly, denying them the full exercise of their rights and political participation, and hampering
the configuration of a national unity which should adequately reflect the rich and diversified physiognomy
of Guatemala with its wealth of values (MINUGUA 2001: 5).
In particular, the Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples (AIDPI) contains
specific commitments to overcome the structural factors of social and racial discrimination,
which remain present in Guatemalan society. As a basic commitment, the parties
established that they »recognize and respect the identity and the political, eco-
13 State forces and paramilitary groups were responsible for 93 percent of the violations, including
arbitrary executions and disappearances; victims were men, women and children of all social strata:
workers, professionals, politicians, peasants, students and academics. In ethnic terms, the majority
were Mayans (Stavenhagen 2003). Selective attacks were committed in particular against members of
the Catholic Church and cooperatives, community leaders and teachers. According to Green (2003),
over 45,000 people have disappeared since the war began in eastern Guatemala in the 1960s, which
is more than in any other Latin American nation.
14 Adams (1988) reminds that Guatemala is part of the political economy of capitalism and lies in the
sphere of influence, or hegemony, of the United States. On the particular dynamic and impact of the
political violence and background concerning an intervention of U.S. governments to protect economic
and political interests in the area, see Harvest of Violence. The Maya Indians and the Guatemalan
Crisis edited by Carmack (1988).
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