Good practices of initiative:
Green Health: improving indigenous participation through the CBD’s ABS
Eficacy
This measures how well the objectives and goals set out in the initiative were fulfilled, as well as the extent to which the results achieved are attributable to the actions implemented by the initiative.
| Indicator | Description | Indicator Type | Measure Unit | Base date | Base | Goal | Measure Date | Measure | Compliance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indigenous participation in the project's governance body | Inclusion of indigenous representatives on the steering committee for the project's transdisciplinary process | Effectiveness | % of indigenous participation on the steering board | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 40% | 31-03-2022 | 56% | 140 | Link |
| Women's participation in the steering committee | Representation of women in the project's decision-making body | Effectiveness | % of women participating in project governance spaces | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 25% | 31-03-2022 | 46% | 184 | Link |
| Documented ethnomedical cases | Reconstruction of clinical cases treated by Q’eqchi’ healers in the ethnographic study | Effectiveness | number of documented ethnomedical cases | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 19 | 31-03-2022 | 19 | 100 | Link |
| Registered medicinal plant species | Species identified in ethnomedical records documented by participating healers | Effectiveness | number of registered medicinal plants | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 250 | 31-03-2022 | 319 | 128 | Link |
| Effectiveness | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 200 | 31-03-2022 | 252 | 126 | ||||
| Species identified in scientific herbarium | Medicinal plants taxonomically identified in the UVG herbarium | Effectiveness | number of species identified | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 100 | 31-03-2022 | 104 | 104 | Link |
| Medicinal species prioritized for conservation | Participatory selection of key species for reproduction and conservation | Effectiveness | number of species prioritized for conservation | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 50 | 31-03-2022 | 60 | 120 | Link |
| Households directly benefiting from the project | Families who obtained income or employment through project activities | Effectiveness | number of households benefitted | 01-05-2019 | 0 | 20 | 31-03-2022 | 32 | 160 | Link |
Sustentaibility
It measures the installed capacities or actions identified to maintain or improve the results of the policy initiative.
| Indicator | Description | Indicator Type | Measure Unit | Base date | Base | Goal | Measure Date | Measure | Compliance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local capacity for ethnographic research and the management of medicinal plants | Training for traditional healers, midwives, and members of the ACGERS Council in ethnographic research and techniques for propagating medicinal plants, enabling the continued documentation and management of medicinal species. | Sustainability | 25 people trained in ethnographic research (17 traditional healers/midwives + 8 council members) | 2019-05-01 | 0 | 25 | >25 | Met | Link | |
| Community-based system for the propagation and conservation of medicinal plants | Establishment of a nursery and a community conservation area to enable the propagation, cultivation, and maintenance of priority medicinal plant species identified by the community | Sustainability | Established system | 2019-05-01 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Met | Link | |
| Technical tools developed for the propagation and management of medicinal plants | Development of a technical manual on the assisted reproduction of medicinal plants, enabling the replication of the techniques learned and expanding the availability of medicinal species | Sustainability | Technical manual prepared | 2019-05-01 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Met | Link | |
| Methodological Tool for Participatory Processes and Intercultural Dialogue in ABS | Development of a methodological manual documenting the participatory process and the tools used for intercultural dialogue and negotiations regarding access and benefit-sharing | Sustainability | Methodological manual prepared | 2019-05-01 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Met | Link | |
| Institutional pathway for continuing access and benefit-sharing (ABS) processes | Identifying an institutional and legal framework to advance ABS agreements in Guatemala, enabling communities to continue negotiating the use of their traditional knowledge | Sustainability | Defined institutional path | 2019-05-01 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Met | Link |
Learned lessons
Gained knowledge from implementing, evaluating, and managing a policy intervention, including why it was or was not effective and how it could be improved in the future.
| Lesson | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Building trust among stakeholders is key to the success of participatory processes | The project demonstrated that existing trust among partners facilitates collaboration, but this trust must be strengthened through participatory approaches that encourage active listening to stakeholders and shared decision-making. | Link |
| Transdisciplinary processes require an investment of time and resources to function properly. | Implementing participatory approaches requires dedicating resources to training and reflection on issues such as interculturality, gender equity, and power dynamics, which strengthens collaboration with indigenous communities. | Link |
| La resiliencia operativa y la capacidad de adaptación son esenciales para sostener la implementación en contextos de crisis | During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team had to reorganize its activities, optimize resources, and adapt its work strategies in order to continue fieldwork. | Link |
| Ongoing communication among project partners is essential for coordination and monitoring | The reduction in communication during the pandemic hindered the planning and monitoring of activities, highlighting the need to maintain regular channels of communication among project leaders. | Link |
| Projects working with indigenous communities must anticipate sociopolitical risks and establish support mechanisms for participants | The murder of a participating traditional healer highlighted the vulnerability of the situation and the need to consider protective measures, legal support, and psychosocial counseling in projects of this kind. | Link |