Drug Trafficking's Impact on the Indigenous Populations of La Mosquitia, Honduras
Date
2018-05
Authors
Euceda, Megan A.
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Abstract
The negative impacts of drug trafficking on regional security in Central America are well documented. However, the effects that drug trafficking has on indigenous communities and livelihoods are less understood. Drawing on the case of the Mosquitia region of Honduras, this research contributes to the gap in the scholarly and policy literature by answering: What are the impacts of drug trafficking on the indigenous populations of La Mosquitia? Analyzing secondary data on forest loss in Central America, a media database on narco-trafficking in Honduras, and two in-depth interviews from a Miskitu and Tawahka leader, this thesis argues that narco-deforestation caused by drug trafficking organizations negatively and disproportionately impacts indigenous communities residing in the Honduran Mosquitia. Furthermore, this deforestation is driving indigenous land dispossession, food insecurity, and threatens the very existence of indigenous peoples and their cultures.
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Keywords
narco-trafficking, indigenous, deforestation, dispossession, Honduras, Mosquitia, Honors College
Citation
Euceda, M. A. (2018). Drug trafficking's impact on the indigenous populations of La Mosquitia, Honduras (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.