FSC Indigenous Foundation project included in top 500 sustainability projects by Premios Verdes

The pilot project Boosting Indigenous Nature-Based Business Models has been selected as one of the top 500 sustainability projects in Latin America and the Caribbean by Premios Verdes (Green Prizes in Spanish). FSC and the FSC Indigenous Foundation celebrate this news together with our Emberá-Wounaan brothers and sisters from Darién, Panama.  

The project is led by the FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC-IF) and the Inter-American Development Bank’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab (IDB Lab), with support from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Health in Harmony (HiH). 

Forest health and Indigenous Peoples  

Through the project, Indigenous communities used a biodiversity monitoring system supported by artificial intelligence to identify 211 high-value species (9 of which are endangered), including 199 birds, five mammals, and seven amphibians. These findings represent a significant advance in local knowledge of the biodiversity present in community forests. 

Muriche Cheucarama, leader of the Puerto Lara community, noted: “With this knowledge, the people must take further steps to meet their goals and achieve greater sustainability through the forest. Everything being done is for the benefit of the community.” 

Co-creation of an innovative label 

At the heart of the project is the creation of a distinctive label that recognizes the contributions of Indigenous Cultural Landscapes and helps connect Indigenous products and services with consumers and markets that value culture, conservation, and sustainable livelihoods. FSC-IF is working with Indigenous focus groups to ensure that the label reflects Indigenous perspectives, priorities, and realities. 

Community Thriving Narratives  

In partnership with HiH, If Not Us Then Who, and Ulu Films, the project incorporates Community Thriving Narratives as a key component of the monitoring system to gather and present a qualitative account of community well-being as told by Indigenous Peoples themselves.  

As part of this initiative, the communities produced videos based on the topics of greatest local interest. In Puerto Lara, the video addressed the issue of access to drinking water. In Alto Playón, the narrative focused on the impact of migration on local livelihoods. In Arimae and Embera Puru, the video documented the impacts experienced during the 2025 protests in Panama against Law 462 on social security. 

This process also helped build local capacity in the use of audiovisual tools as a means of expression, documentation, and community outreach. As young Samuel Cheucarama from the community of Puerto Lara put it, “We never thought this could happen – to see the video we recorded ourselves.” He added, “We learned a lot, and there were some points that really struck me, because just think – with videos alone, we can tell a story, record it, and publish it. Plus, this town is a tourist destination, and there are organizations we can support through this.” 

Self-determination and Indigenous rights  

All this work is carried out in accordance with the principles of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), data sovereignty, and respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The project combines innovation and ancestral knowledge in digital solutions validated by Indigenous Peoples themselves. 

Other initiatives, such as the community of practice, create a space for learning among Indigenous Peoples, help communities identify their own paths to development, and strengthen community governance and long-term decision-making.  

Another key component of the project is participatory long-term economic planning through the FSC Economic Viability Tool. This process helps communities identify opportunities and challenges, and make collective, data-based decisions that increase their well-being. 

Watch the video to learn more about the project.