Community: The Secret to Stopping Deforestation in Guatemala
The forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate for 20 years.... Continue Reading
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The Selva Maya is the second largest tropical rainforest in the Americas, spanning southeastern Mexico, northern Guatemala, and part of Belize. Here, the Rainforest Alliance partners with 25 ejidos organizations in the Yucatan Peninsula and 12 community forestry concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve to promote community forest management. These communities pursue sustainable economic opportunities while conserving the forest and its biodiversity.
The Selva Maya (including Belize) encompasses 14 million hectares. More than half a million of those hectares are FSC-certified in Guatemala and Mexico. This means that between one and two trees per hectare are harvested every 40 years, and forest harvesting is approved and monitored by local authorities though management plans. About 70,000 people directly or indirectly benefit from the healthy forest.
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The Selva Maya: a Community Forest Management Offer for Responsible Markets
The Rainforest Alliance promotes local community forest management. With ATIBT, we seek access to new markets for communities and Indigenous Peoples to thrive.
Forest concessions in Petén, Guatemala
This study presents a systematic analysis of the socioeconomic performance of community enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Guatemala.
Markets for a Sustainable Future
Under the Alliance for Sustainable Landscapes and Markets initiative, the Markets for a Sustainable Future program gathered producers, companies, and organizations together to access local responsible markets.
Climate, Nature and Communities in Guatemala (CNCG)
The CNCG project helped to mitigate climate change in Guatemala through an integrated approach that improves government and community management of natural resources, biodiversity and helped to build institutional and technical capacity.
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Women and Forests: A Winning Team in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve
If ever there were a question as to whether community forestry is an excellent conservation strategy, one would only have to look to the concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve for an answer—and to the women leaders who live there.... Continue Reading
The Rainforest Alliance's Work in Mexico
We are working to grow Mexico’s domestic market for sustainably produced products.... Continue Reading
Maya Communities Join Forces to Boost Sustainable Forestry in Southern Mexico
A jointly owned carpentry center transforms sustainable wood into fine wood products.... Continue Reading
All resources for Selva Maya
Project Profile: Reduced Emissions from Avoided Deforestation in the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala (GuateCarbon)
Reduced Emissions from Avoided Deforestation in the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala... Continue Reading
Project Profile: Climate, Nature and Communities in Guatemala
Helping Guatemala strengthen its ability to address climate change ... Continue Reading
Conservation Superhero José Román Carrera
For José Román Carrera, protecting forests is a matter of life and death.... Continue Reading
The Future of the Forest
Our education program provides training, hands-on tools, and support in implementing conservation and climate-related curricula.... Continue Reading
Meeting the New Global Demand For Lesser-Known Species: Developing Community Forestry Enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve
A Case Study of Communities in The Maya Biosphere Reserve, (Petén, Guatemala) Expanding markets for lesser-known species (LKS) has long been identified as a key need to increase the competitiveness of community forest enterprise (CFE), especially in the tropics. A production focus on a single or small range of forest species with strong market demand […]
Expanding Access to Finance For Community Forest Enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve
A Case Study of Work with Forestry Concessions In the Maya Biosphere Reserve (Petén, Guatemala) Lack of access to finance is widely cited as a critical bottleneck to improving the competitiveness of community forest enterprises (CFEs). Having capital on hand beyond the rather small savings that most CFEs have is essential to cover annual planning […]