Technical Assistance for Forestry Concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve
Case Study C0152
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| Date | August 2002 |
| Agency | Fundación Naturaleza Para la Vida (NPV), Guatemala |
| Donor/support agency | Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP), Guatemala USAID |
| Project type | Implemented by agency |
| Context(s) | Protected area |
| Geographic coverage | Guatemala |
| Locality | Maya Biosphere National Park |
| Biodiversity focus | Forest ecosystem |
| Development focus | Local communities |
| Conservation goals | Conserve the natural resources (in particular forest resources) of the Maya Biosphere National Park |
| Poverty reduction goals | Improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Maya Biosphere Reserve by providing them with sustainable production options |
Summary
Since 1997, Fundación Naturaleza Para la Vida (NPV), as part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve project, provided technical support to community groups with forestry concessions from the Guatemalan government. Project's objectives included: reduce the pressure exerted by local communities on the natural resources of the Maya Biosphere National Park; provide sustainable production options to the inhabitants of the multiple use zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve; improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Maya Biosphere Reserve by emphasizing the value of the forest resources; guarantee the sustainable use of the natural resources in the reserve through community organization. An estimated 1,691 individuals have benefited from the project, with more than 20,000 work days annually earned just by timber extraction activities. At the end of the process, some groups choose to divide up the profits while others used the funds for social development.
Conservation impact
The project contributed toward the decrease of the incidence of forest fires, as well as illegal logging in areas close to the Belize border. As a result, more than 161,000 ha of tropical forest are now protected.
Poverty reduction impact
The project has benefited and involved more than 440 families in forestry management, by encouraging the concessionaires to manage and protect the forest as part of a certification process; promoting the industrialization of forest products; contributing toward job generation and salary increases within the concessions; promoting the export of wood products, which produced income for the country and greater profits for the members of the community.
Strategy for Conservation/Poverty Linkages
Enabling local participation in policy-/decision- making processes
Sustainable Use
Reference 1
http://www.eco-index.org/search/results.cfm?projectID=334
Related records above this one:
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (Organisation O0100)