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.
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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.
Must-read resources for Selva Maya
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.
The Rainforest Alliance's Work in Mexico
We are working to grow Mexico’s domestic market for sustainably produced products.
Maya Communities Join Forces to Boost Sustainable Forestry in Southern Mexico
A jointly owned carpentry center transforms sustainable wood into fine wood products.
All resources for Selva Maya
Unlocking Tropical Timber Trade: Insights from the Selva Maya Trade Mission 2024
The Selva Maya Tropical Timber Trade Mission 2024 report details a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at promoting the international trade of sustainably sourced tropical timber from forest communities in Mexico and Guatemala. Building on the 2023 mission, the 2024 edition deepened collaboration between community forest enterprises, timber traders, NGOs, and government bodies. It highlights key activities, […]
The Rainforest Alliance Learns by Listening to Communities
Our new Community Listening Program was designed to gather, analyze, and incorporate the knowledge of those at the heart of our mission—namely farming and forest communities—to help us improve how we work.... Continue Reading
The Rainforest Alliance’s Work in Mexico
We are working to grow Mexico’s domestic market for sustainably produced products.... Continue Reading
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
Institutional Capacities in Latin America
Working across Latin America’s most significant natural landscapes—from the South American Amazon rainforest to the Mayan jungle which extends through Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize—the Rainforest Alliance has a permanent presence in Latin America, with a growing technical and administrative team that includes more than 150 staff members based in the region. Learn more about how […]
2020-2025 Strategy: Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve
For rural, isolated communities in Guatemala, natural capital is the people’s greatest wealth. Since 1997, the Rainforest Alliance has worked with community forestry concessions to strengthen their organizational and technical capacity to manage natural resources in ways that protect and restore forests while developing successful businesses which offer a diverse set of high-value products and […]