Our Village Puebla & CDMX Training Program
Since 2018, nineteen ejidos of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, from the municipalities of Chignahuapan, Zacatlán, Ixtacamaxtitlan, Ahuazotepec, and Aquixtla, joined together with PODER to train and organize themselves in the defense of their territory, which is one of the most concessioned for mining in the region. Through mutual collaboration between the Regional Collective In Defense Of The Forests Of The Sierra Norte de Puebla, PODER, INUTW, and the Red MOCAF, the collective facilitated the dissemination of good community forestry practices, articulated and promoted alliances and dialogues with authorities and decision-makers.
In partnership with PODER, INUTW organized audiovisual production seminars for a local group of 5 mentees in the Sierra Norte de Puebla. Throughout the collaboration, strategic communication workshops were held, including teaching the smartphone filmmaking workshop while they made the documentaries: “Fires” and “A People Protecting Their Land”.
As a result of this struggle, in February 2022, the Mexican Supreme Court withdrew mining concessions from the part of the territory that belongs to the ejidos of some members of the collective. This was cause for celebration and for publicizing other initiatives of this group of forest defenders, in three Our Village events that took place between July and October of the same year.
Learn more about the Regional Collective In Defense Of The Forests Of The Sierra Norte de Puebla here
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More than 15 years ago, different communities in the municipality of Ixtacamaztitlan in the Sierra Norte de Puebla began to notice the presence of people from outside their communities exploring the area. Soon they realized that they were dealing with a mining company with concessions to exploit the territory by building an open-pit mine. The Colectivo Regional en Defensa de los Bosques y del Territorio de la Sierra Norte de Puebla tells us how they managed to get the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation to listen to them and withdraw these concessions.
The local communities of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, pioneers in community forest management, struggle to keep their forests alive in the face of the increasing presence of fires in the region, risking their lives and without adequate resources and equipment.
This is a documentary made by the inhabitants of the community, members of the Regional Collective in Defense of the Forests and the Territory of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, with the support of If Not Us Then Who, Red MOCAF and PODER.