Guardians of the Forest: How Community Forestry Saves the Maya Biosphere Reserve
Gone is the traditional model of protected areas guarded by fences and regulations. since the 1990s, in the MBR, the Government has granted ten community forest concessions to local communities for 25 years, of which 9 are active even today. They currently cover approximately 350,000 hectares of the forests. A Community Forest Enterprise (CFE) operates these concessions in accordance to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Standards. The outcomes are remarkable: almost no deforestation, flourishing communities, and a resurgence of optimism for the future.
