Community-Owned Forests
Local Stewardship Brings Sustainable Tropical Timber to New Markets
An article authored in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance. The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. The Rainforest Alliance works to build an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.
The term community forest management isn’t well known, but it describes a growing global movement that has provided a viable alternative to traditional nationally managed forests. In a community forest system, forest management rights are transferred to communities and small holders are then involved and vested in key environmental, social, and economic outcomes. The result has been an increase in sustainable forest management. Using this model, communities now “own” up to 35 percent of global forests, making them an important and growing part of the global wood supply chain.
A Prominent Case Study in the Mayan Jungle
The Selva Maya or Mayan Jungle is the largest rainforest in Meso-America and the second largest in the Americas, after the Amazon. The region surrounding it is home to a rural population of about 600,000 people, with rich cultural diversity flowing from thousands of years of Mayan culture. These community-managed forests have been identified by scientists as important in the effort to protect globally significant carbon stocks and native plants and animals.
WORKERS PREPARE TIMBER HARVESTED FROM THE MAYA BIOSPHERE RESERVE FOREST CONCESSION NEAR PETEN, GUATEMALA.
PHOTO CREDIT: SERGIO IZQUIERDO / RAINFOREST ALLIANCE
The jungle itself is the economic engine of these rural economies. Unsurprisingly, there is a broad diversity of community-produced goods ranging from traditional tropical timber forest products and stunning pieces of value-added furniture to medicinal botanicals, honey, wild harvested nuts and seeds, and even floral greens for the faith-based community. They are delivered to local, regional, and even global markets. Timber is a critical component of the Selva Maya economy. Famous species like Mahogany and Spanish Cedar have been traded across the globe for centuries. This trade dates to the 16th century when the wood was first noticed by Europeans during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Today, forest communities across the region still export significant quantities of Big-Leaf Mahogany and Cedar to global markets.
Listen to a community member discuss community forestry.
However, the rainforest is also home to dozens of additional tree species, many less known in international markets. These tropical woods yield beautiful lumber with highly valued performance characteristics. The forest communities, along with nonprofits such as the Rainforest Alliance, are working to bring these lesser-known timber species to global markets. Success in expansion demand for these lesser-known species leads to a diversification in income, while supporting forest management by expanding their harvest beyond well-known species.
THE TREEHOUSE MEMORIAL CITY OPENED IN THE SUMMER OF 2014. TRUE TO ITS NAME, THE TREEHOUSE BRINGS OUTDOOR ELEMENTS INDOORS, WHILE COMBINING MODERN DESIGN AND GREEN BUILDING PRINCIPLES. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL (USGBC), THE TREEHOUSE MEMORIAL CITY IS THE HIGHEST-RATED LEED BUILDING IN TEXAS AND THE SECOND HIGHEST IN NORTH AMERICA.
PHOTO CREDITS: GENERAL WOODCRAFT INC.
“Across the Selva Maya, we have seen that sustainable rural economies built on responsible management of community forests have been an effective defense against agricultural expansion, illegal logging, and has helped reduce fires,” says Jose Roman Carerra, Latin America Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development for Rainforest Alliance. “As a native of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, I have seen firsthand the power of the communities to protect forests and the importance of responsible markets to support forest communities.”
Scientific data support Carerra’s conclusion. The active community concessions have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate for over 20 years — a remarkable feat given that areas directly adjacent suffer some of the highest deforestation rates in the Americas. In fact, these concessions seem to have protected the forest better than most of the Reserve’s units formally set aside for strict protection. The Maya Biosphere Reserve’s Laguna del Tigre National Park, for example, has been heavily deforested for large-scale livestock operations, many of which are tied to drug trafficking and organized crime. Communities are also better at preventing fire: only two percent of the Reserve’s fires happen in these communities.
TWO WORKERS CONSULT A FOREST MAP. EACH TREE IS MAPPED USING GPS TO TRACK THE HARVEST OF TREES.
PHOTO CREDIT: SERGIO IZQUIERDO / RAINFOREST ALLIANCE
These remarkable conservation successes have only been possible because the people who live in the concessions have built robust local economies connected to local, regional, and global markets. Between 2013 and 2021, more than 100 forest businesses created 12,000 jobs, with many leadership positions for women. These businesses have created benefits that fan out to more than 45,000 people. During the same period, these forest businesses generated $69.6M in total sales. Poverty rates in the concessions are significantly lower than in other parts of Guatemala, making emigration from the concession communities virtually unheard of — a noteworthy fact given that in general, the rate of Guatemalans migrating to the U.S. is high and rising.
Yale’s Environment 360 publication calls the concessions a “shining beacon of conservation,” and the Guatemalan government agrees. In recent years, the government granted 25-year extensions to all the concessions whose land contracts have come up for renewal. In addition, the Guatemalan government created two new concessions in 2021, adding 71,255 hectares to the 353,000 hectares already under community management.
The creative community of artists, merchandisers, architects, and designers should take notice of this important material to meet today’s eco-conscious marketplace. These examples from the Selva Maya should light a spark. With their high performance and natural beauty, they are too important to ignore.
Read More about why the Rainforest Alliance thinks indigenous people are the best forest guardians.
Learn More about the Rainforest Alliance.
Follow on Social:
Frequently asked questions
What is community forest management?+
Community forest management is a system in which forest management rights are transferred to local communities and small holders, involving them in environmental, social, and economic outcomes. Communities now own up to 35 percent of global forests, making them a growing part of the global wood supply chain.
What is the Selva Maya and why is it significant?+
The Selva Maya, or Mayan Jungle, is the largest rainforest in Meso-America and the second largest in the Americas after the Amazon. It is home to about 600,000 rural people and has been identified by scientists as important for protecting globally significant carbon stocks and native plants and animals.
What tropical timber species are harvested from the Selva Maya?+
The Selva Maya is known for Big-Leaf Mahogany and Spanish Cedar, which have been traded globally since the 16th century. The rainforest also contains dozens of lesser-known tree species that yield beautiful lumber with valued performance characteristics, which communities are working to bring to global markets.
How effective are community forest concessions at preventing deforestation?+
Active community concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve have maintained a near-zero deforestation rate for over 20 years, outperforming even areas formally set aside for strict protection. Only two percent of the Reserve's fires occur within these community concessions.
What economic impact have the Selva Maya forest concessions had?+
Between 2013 and 2021, more than 100 forest businesses created 12,000 jobs and generated $69.6 million in total sales, benefiting over 45,000 people. Poverty rates in the concessions are significantly lower than in other parts of Guatemala, and emigration is virtually unheard of.
Has the Guatemalan government supported the community forest concessions?+
Yes, the Guatemalan government has granted 25-year extensions to all community concessions whose contracts have come up for renewal. In 2021, it also created two new concessions, adding 71,255 hectares to the 353,000 hectares already under community management.