Mayan Forestry Action Plan
Case Study C0171
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| Date | July 2003 |
| Agency | EcoLogic Development Fund and Plan de Accion Forestal Maya |
| Donor/support agency | Atkinson Foundation Blossom Fund European Commission Ministerio de Agricultura (MAGA), Guatemala Others |
| Project type | Implemented by agency |
| Context(s) | indigenous territory |
| Geographic coverage | Guatemala |
| Locality | Maya Chuj villages |
| Biodiversity focus | Forest ecosystem |
| Development focus | Chuj population |
| Conservation goals | Conserve and sustainably manage forest resources |
| Poverty reduction goals | Develop alternative, environmentally sustainable, income generating activities |
Summary
Mayan Forestry Action Plan (PAF-Maya) and EcoLogic have been working directly in remote Maya Chuj villages in Guatemala's western highlands. Many of these residents were displaced during the country's 36-year civil war and only recently have returned to their villages. Despite their repatriation, the Chuj currently live in conditions of extreme poverty and marginalization. Their need to subsist on natural resources has led to deforestation, erosion, and heavy loss of soil nutrients. EcoLogic and PAF-Maya have made significant progress in helping these poor communities address their problems. Efforts, carried out within the project 'Mayan Forestry Action Plan', have aimed in particular to: improve agricultural productivity; reforest sensitive watersheds and landscapes (including establishing community-run tree nurseries and community-based management plans); develop and implement a municipality-wide forestry management plan and public awareness campaign to protect 160,000 acres of extremely rare montane forests on communal and municipal lands; cultivate shade-grown coffee as a way of generating income, expanding habitat, and reducing pressure on existing forest cover.
Conservation impact
A community forest protection plan was jointly drafted; important fresh water sources were protected by using reforestation and agroforestry techniques; six nurseries were established, each producing 5,000 trees; 350 community leaders and forest guards were trained in nursery management and reforestation; 75 hectares were reforested, using 100,000 tree seedlings produced in community-established and -run nurseries; the Association of Forest Guards was formed.
Poverty reduction impact
The project thus far has benefited all 70 Maya Chuj communities. Some of the more specific accomplishements achieved to date are: 389 families are actively participating in training and agroforestry activities; 47 farmers from three villages have been trained in community development, forest conservation, and sustainable agriculture; one women's group, composed of 65 Maya Chuj women, sold 200,000 coffee tree seedlings during the first half of 2001 thus generating a significant supplement income.
Strategy for Conservation/Poverty Linkages
Ecoagriculture
Enabling local participation in policy-/decision- making processes
Provision of alternative livelihoods
Reference 1
http://www.eco-index.org/search/results.cfm?projectID=95
Reference 2
http://www.ecologic.org
More information
Shaun Paul (EcoLogic)
Phone: +617/441-6300
E-mail: spaul@ecologic.org
Related records above this one:
- European Commission (EC) (Organisation O0160)