With an extension of 2.1 million ha, the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) in Petén, Guatemala is the largest protected area in Central America. To reconcile forest conservation and socio-economic development, community forest concessions were created in its Multiple Use Zone (MUZ) in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Operated by a community forest enterprise (CFE), and with a cycle of 25 years, the concessions grant usufruct rights to local communities on an area of about 400,000 ha. Currently, nine concessions are active, while the contracts of two concessions were cancelled and the management plan of another suspended.

1. Forest conservation and socio-economic benefits through community forest concessions:
Evidence from the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Petén, Guatemala
Dietmar Stoian, Aldo Rodas & Iliana Monterroso
XXV IUFRO World Congress, Curitiba, Brazil, October 1, 2019

2. Prensa Libre, Guatemala; August 12, 2018
Radachowsky et al. (2012)
Problem addressed: Tenure conflicts, land use change, and community
stewardship in the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), Petén, Guatemala
MBR
Diario de Centroamérica, September 12, 2019

3. Study Design
Three Phases
1) Context analysis: political-legal & institutional frameworks, value chains
2) Enterprise assessment: all 12 Community Forest Enterprises (CFEs)
3) Household assessment: CFE members (n=292), mostly selected at random
Donovan & Stoian (2012)
Livelihood and business assets:
human, social, natural, financial
and physical capital
-G
5Capitals: First cohort of 3 active concessions 2014/15
5Capitals-G: 2016/17 data from 6 remaining active concessions (w Rainforest Alliance)
2018 assessment of 3 inactive concessions
Gender-responsive version
(Stoian et al. 2019)

4. Study area: 12 community concessions (400,830ha) in the Multiple Use Zone (MUZ)
of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Petén, Guatemala

5. Results: Context analysis

6. effective, readily available, advanced, well developed, highly functional
moderately effective, existent, developing, functional
ineffective, unavailable, rudimentary/inexistent, underdeveloped, dysfunctional
Context Analysis:
Enabling/disabling
conditions
Enabling conditions for the management
of community forest concessions in the MUZ
At present
Before signing
concession
contracts
Tenure security (de jure)
Tenure security (de facto)
Sense of ownership regarding forest resources
Political and institutional support provided by government agencies
Guidelines for managing timber and non-timber forest products based on
technical criteria (e.g. regeneration and growth rates)
Obtaining forest certification (FSC)
Science-based evidence of the sustainability of timber extraction including
species protected under CITES
Sense of ownership and skills development for forest management and
conservation
Technical support provided by government agencies
Technical support and advocacy provided by NGOs and projects
Access to working capital for timber extraction and processing
Availability of commercially valuable timber and non-timber forest products
Availability of forest products for supporting livelihoods needs
Access to markets for high-value timber species
Access to markets for lesser-known timber species
Access to markets for non-timber forest products
Complementarity/Compatibility between timber and NTFP utilization
Opportunities for women with respect to forest activities and the
administration of community forest enterprises
Internal and external governance structures that allow to mitigate external
threats (from outside the MUZ), such as wild fires, expansion of cattle
ranching and illicit activities
General improvement of
enabling environment
but persisting threats from
outside of the community
concession areas

7. Note: This map shows deforestation trends in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Petén, Guatemala
during the period 2000-2013; hashed areas are certified forestry concessions. Courtesy of the
Rainforest Alliance.
Effective "social fencing" in 9 active community concessions, but deforestation in 3 inactive concessions.
Still, community stewardship best model for ensuring both forest conservation and livelihood benefits.
Context: Conservation/deforestation in Maya Biosphere Reserve
Source: Hodgdon (2015)

8. Results: Enterprise Assessment

9. Community Forest Enterprises (CFE)
9 active CFEs: membership increased by 26% (2000–2017)
3 inactive CFEs: ceased to operate between 2007 and 2009
Numberofmembers
CFE
Evolution of membership in the 12 CFEs, 1994-2017
Numberofmembers

10. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Full-time Full-time women Part-time Part-time women Full-time Full-time women Part-time Part-time women
Today Five years Ago
NumberofEmployees
CFE
Employment in 6 CFEs assessed with 5Capitals-G
AFISAP SCAV SCEE SCCUSTOSEL SCIS SCOMYC
5 years ago
Gendered employment in CFEs
Today

11. Today (semi-)professional management in 9 active CFEs
Own sawmill operated by 8 of them
Table 3:Evolution of CFE Management Over Time
Year
AFIC
APROLAPA
APROSAM
AFICC
AFISAP
Coop.Carmelita
SCAV
SCEE
SCCUSTOSEL
SCIS
SCLB
SCOMYC
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001 *
2002 *
2003
2004
2005 *
2006 *
2007 *
2008 * *
2009 * *
2010 * * *
2011 * * * * * *
2012 * * * * * *
2013 * * * * * *
2014 * * * * * *
2015 * * * * *
2016 * * * * *
2017 * * * *
Key: CFE Management
Red Not in operation
Tan No manager
Yellow Manager without formal training
Green Manager with formal training
* Manager is Non-Member of the CFE
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Degreeofprocessing
Year
Evolution of wood processing
AFIC APROLAPA APROSAM AFICC
AFISAP Coop. Carmelita SCAV SCEE
SCCUSTOSEL SCIS SCLB SCOMYC
CFE-owned sawmill
Rented sawmill
Roundwood sales
Flitch
Standing timber
No sales
Professionalization
ofmanagement
andprocessing

12. Q 187.3 millions (~US$25 million) from timber sales
Source: Own elaboration based on unpublished CFE data
Timber sales of active CFEs, 2012-2016 (in GTQ)
Financial Capital: CFE timber sales, 2012-2016
Timber sales of active CFEs, 2012-2016, by year (in GTQ)
High dependency on mahogany: 50% of volume, 74% of value
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

13. Alternative
channel
US$20-27/bf
of mahogany
Enterprises: value adding and asset building
Conventional
channel
US$4-5/bf
of mahogany
Office
building
2001
2009 2017

14. Results: Household Survey

15. n=292 households11 CFEs
Forest income:
38%
Other sources
Cattle ranching
Pension
Remittances Tourism Agriculture Rent Beekeeping
Support from
their children
Petty
commerce: 19%
Employment
(temporary or
permanent):
19%
Handicrafts
Financial Capital: Composition of household income among members of 9 active
CFEs and ex-members of 2 inactive CFEs (average across 11 CFEs)
Forest income in 9 active CFEs contributes 11-63% of hh income.
Additional sources include petty commerce, employment, agriculture and others.

16. Re-investment of forest income
in human, social and physical capitals
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Inversión en
el hogar
Salud Educación Inversión en
el hogar
Salud Educación
Ingreso proveniente del ingreso por
empleo EFC
Inversión proveniente por repartición
de dividendo
PorcentajedemiembrosdeEFC
AFICC AFISAP Coop. Carmelita
SCAV ESEE SCCUSTOSEL
SCIS SCLB SCOMYC
Housing
improvement
Health Education Health Education
Investments based
on CFE employment
Investments based
on CFE dividend
PercentageofCFEmembers
Housing
improvement

17. Results: Inactive concessions

18. Año / Concesión La Colorada (%) La Pasadita (%) San Miguel (%)
1990 97 93 92
1995 96 91 91
2000 95 89 91
2007 95 78 89
2010 82 63 77
2011 82 61 77
2012 83 59 74
2013 83 59 75
2014 84 58 76
2015 84 56 74
2016 84 55 74
Entre 2010 y 2016 2 -8 -3
Year | CFE
After cancellation/ suspension, 2010-2016 +2 -8 -3
Ongoing deforestation in two inactive concessions
Halted deforestation in another, but at a high cost (US$200,000 per year)
Forest cover in inactive concessions, 1990-2016

19. Principal income sources today, during and prior to CFE operations
Agriculture
Bee keeping
Livestock raising
Other employment
Daily wages
Petty commerce
Today During Before
CFE employment
Allspice
Xate
Livelihood shifts in inactive concession – San Miguel
n=13 households
Number of households
Move out of forest-based activities into agriculture and livestock raising.

20. Synthesis and the way ahead

21. Principal findings
• Livelihood & business assets (human, social, natural, physical and financial capitals)
have increased, and asset-building at the CFE level helps building those of CFE
member households ➔ positive feedback loops
• Annual forest-based income (US$500-10,000 per household) allows most CFE
member households to move out of extreme poverty, or poverty altogether.
• Gender-differentiated job opportunities exist in value chains for timber and NTFPs,
improving both sexes' access to and control over livelihood and business assets.
• Enhanced job opportunities reduce outmigration and, overall, there are important
spillover effects to local communities and the regional economy.
• General improvement of governance in the CFEs and their concessions, but threats
from outside (buffer zone, core zone, competing claims over MBR resources)

22. Conclusions
• By far the largest reform process in protected areas in Central America, with local
communities as both beneficiaries and stewards of tropical forest conservation
• Combined evidence of the community concessions' environmental and socio-
economic performance ➔ strong case for concession renewal (due 2022-2027)
• Maya Biosphere Reserve clear example of powerful role community stewardship
of tropical forests for forest conservation and rural development ➔ important
lessons for other countries promoting forest governance reforms

23. Thank you!
Available online (Bioversity International, CIFOR & World Agroforestry websites):
Monterroso, Stoian, Lawry & Rodas (2018)Stoian, Rodas & Arguello (2017)
Stoian, Rodas, Butler et al. (2019)
Stoian, Rodas, Butler et al. (2019)