Making another world possible in Chiapas, Mexico
In Chiapas, according to our partner organization Otros Mundos, “violence has been unleashed in every community.” Activists are striving to protect nature, forests, water, and human rights under extremely difficult conditions: “We keep working to build the way forward.”
Project Overview
Project FocusEcosystems / Rainforest Defenders
Project Objective Defending human rights, the country, and territories
Activities Designing training processes, building capacity, and establishing support networks
Chiapas is the Mexican state with the greatest biodiversity, but its natural wealth is under threat from large-scale development projects. These projects endanger Indigenous territories and forests and risk displacing local communities and Indigenous peoples.
Communities in Chiapas are urgently calling for support to defend their land and way of life. Our partner, Otros Mundos, is developing strategies and practical alternatives with them. These include coordinating solidarity work, campaigns, and networking activities such as the national assembly of the Mexican Network of People Affected by Mining (REMA), the national assembly of the solidarity economy, the assembly of the Bioconverter Network (BioRed), and Mesoamerican meetings of social movements along the Usumacinta River.
Otros Mundos not only organizes and leads these efforts, but also supports communities affected by extractivism and other forms of violence. In 2023, it founded the Clinic for Indigenous Litigation and Human Rights Education (Clínica de Litigio Indígena y Formación en Derechos Humanos, CLIFODH) to help Indigenous people defend their land, territory, and fundamental rights.
This work takes place in a challenging context. Drug trafficking has spread into the region, changing community life and relationships among neighboring villages. This presence opens the door for extractive industries such as mining and agribusiness, which bring the destructive expansion of oil palm monocultures.
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. Some have disappeared or been kidnapped. Secret graves have been discovered. The cartels’ brutal actions – roadblocks, burning vehicles, raids, weapons, stray bullets, and extortion – have brought daily fear and instability. Migrants crossing the region face these dangers as well.
In such conditions, environmental, social, and human rights organizations must constantly adapt and find new ways to strengthen resistance to destructive projects while maintaining safety and unity in the communities.
In 2025, our joint project will focus on protecting the rapidly disappearing forests of Chiapas. Together with local people, we are developing tools for legal action, communication, and community-level information.
For more than four years, we have stood with these communities in their struggle to protect their homes and forests. Your donation helps us continue this vital work – please support the people of Chiapas today.