Our first story in a series produced thanks to Mongabay.org's Special Reporting Initiative tells the story of why the Kuna peoples of Panama have voted against the prevailing global program to stop deforestation:
Over 12 million hectares of forests are lost every year worldwide due to deforestation releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Paying forest-dwellers to keep trees standing is REDD+’s important mandate, but one that doesn't sit well with many indigenous peoples, including the Kuna.
Read the story here.