The map is the most comprehensive ever produced of the area that is home to 80 different Indigenous Peoples in the seven nations of Central America–occupying almost 40 percent of the land and water area of the isthmus.To produce the map, the cartographers engaged with approximately 3,500 Indigenous people, who participated in more than 130 mapping workshops across the region. The map updates efforts to define the Indigenous use of land, as well as their occupation of forests and waterways.
The new map identifies 948 recognized terrestrial and marine protected areas in Central America. In fact, 39 percent of those areas - some 96,432 square kilometers - are also home to Indigenous Peoples. And 44 percent of Central American forests are located inside areas inhabited and used by Indigenous Peoples.