Successful 20 years of community forest management in Guatemala informs an Integrated Community Forest Management pathway to support scaling
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Research increasingly highlights the powerful link between environmental and social challenges and outcomes, and how local communities can be effective guardians of the forest.
In the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, which Rainforest Alliance supports since more than 20 years, a broad alliance has been made between forest communities, local and national government bodies, companies, as well as academia and implementing partners. This public-private alliance supports the local population in its responsible management of forests, as a powerful tool contributing to peace and social justice, as well as to human development. Impact studies show that the deforestation rate in the forest concessions is near zero, while protected areas and buffer zones nearby suffered high deforestation levels, and that the initiative contributes to all the 17 SDGs. Based on a learning inventory of the Rainforest Alliances’ work in Guatemala and other countries it operates in, we have broaden our approach in order to catalyze long-term transformation at scale. We have developed and tested tools and methods to foster an enabling environment and to support the deployment of viable community-based forest enterprises, implementing sustainable forest management, restoration or reforestation, and providing equitable benefits. We have organized this approach in an Integrated Community Forest Implementation pathway which is presented in more detail in this paper.
To deploy this pathway, a unique coalition of corporate stakeholders, forest communities, Indigenous Peoples and regional implementing partners are uniting with the Rainforest Alliance within its Forest Allies Community of Practice. Using the Integrated Community Forest Management approach, we leverage the power of partnerships to protect and restore forests in critical landscapes while also empowering communities and improving livelihoods. Because we believe the best guardians of the forest are those who make their living from it.
Keywords: Adaptive and integrated management, Community Forest; Sustainable forest management, Economic Development, Partnerships.
ID: 3485602