Katic, Pamela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7594-1081, Bol Caal, Benjamin, Ico Tiul, Selma Maribel and Haggar, Jeremy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4682-4879 (2026) From dialogue to protocol: participatory approaches to biocultural governance in Maya Q’eqchi’ agricultural cooperatives in Guatemala. Ecosystems and People. ISSN 2639-5908 (Print), 2639-5916 (Online) (In Press)

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Abstract

per documents the collaborative development of biocultural protocols (BPs) with ten Maya Q’eqchi’ agricultural cooperatives in Alta Verapaz, northern Guatemala, highlighting the methodological, ethical, and political dimensions of co-designing community-defined governance tools. Framed by Indigenous rights frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), the protocols articulate locally grounded norms and claims over land, traditional knowledge, and benefit-sharing. Drawing on participatory and decolonial methodologies, the process engaged both non-Indigenous and Maya Q’eqchi’ researchers in a reflexive dialogue, navigating challenges related to language, internal diversity, and institutional scepticism. The paper contributes to ongoing debates on ethical research and Indigenous sovereignty by providing a framework to assess the process of development of biocultural protocols and demonstrating how they not only support community governance and articulate collective rights, but also serve as living expressions of cultural values, relational accountability, and territorial care. The concluding reflection interrogates what it means to co-create protocols without co-opting voice, arguing for a deeper commitment to epistemic plurality, trust, and community ownership in environmental governance and research partnerships.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	biocultural protocols, agricultural cooperatives, Maya Q’eqchi’, Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), Guatemala, biodiversity, conservation
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Society, Environment and Development (CSED) Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Society, Environment and Development (CSED) > Political Ecology, Culture & Arts
Last Modified:	02 Jun 2026 14:21
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/53654

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