Tracing territorial-illicit relations: pathways of influence and prospects for governance

Recent research increasingly illustrates that illicit economies, especially drug production and trafficking, may result in environmental destruction as well as violence and human rights abuses in remote, rural places. At the same time, the idea of titling forest lands collectively, especially to Indigenous Peoples, has emerged as a key measure to halt deforestation, protect biodiversity, and mitigate against climate change. A focus on the conditions under which titling can achieve these outcomes, specifically on governance and institutions, may underestimate the degree to which illicit activities play a major role in influencing socio-ecological and political-economic possibilities in new territories. Drawing on a review of the literature and a case study of the adjacent Miskitu Indigenous regions in Honduras and Nicaragua, we propose several potential pathways through which collective land titling may influence the functioning of illicit economies, and vice versa, and thus potential constellations of territorial governance. We identify and provide examples of five key pathways: Coexistence, Cooperation, Corruption, Competition, and Confrontation. These pathways reflect underlying political and institutional conditions within a given place and are dynamic across space and time. With the Muskitia in mind, we outline how the role of the state can significantly influence the functioning of Indigenous institutions and narco-trafficking, as well as the ways in which these two interact, troubling the scalar and spatial dimensions of “local” governance in this region and more broadly.