Towards participatory and sustainable forest management in the Maya Biosphere Reserve (ConForMa)

The Maya Biosphere Reserve hosts exceptional biodiversity and pioneering community expertise in sustainable forest management. For over 30 years, community forest concessions covering more than 600,000 hectares have enabled the responsible harvesting of timber and non-timber forest products while curbing deforestation. In a context marked by climate change, land pressures, and social inequalities, this model has proven effective. The ConForMa project seeks to enhance its resilience, improve local economic benefits, and promote it as a replicable solution in other tropical forests.

The project is based on three main pillars:

• Ensure the sustainability and adaptation of community forest management in the face of global changes.
• Strengthen dialogue among local stakeholders, including those with divergent interests.
• Disseminate and promote the Guatemalan model at the regional level (Neotropical forests).

• Improve forest management techniques and restore degraded lands to regain productive forest use.
• Develop inclusive value chains around non-timber forest products (honey, xate, ramon, pepper, etc.).
• Experiment with new tree species and technical pathways more resilient to climate change.
• Foster dialogue among local actors to co-construct landscape restoration strategies.
  Capitalize on and share acquired experience through regional and international networks.

The ConForMa project builds on a proven success: for over twenty years, the communities of Petén in northern Guatemala have sustainably managed their forest through a model that balances nature conservation and local development. Rather than creating a new system, the project aims to strengthen and expand this field-tested solution, driven by those living at the heart of the forest.

The project stands out for its original approach, combining traditional knowledge, scientific expertise, and technical innovations. It also focuses on restoring degraded lands to return them to forest use, benefiting both communities and nature. In a region marked by land-use conflicts and pressure, ConForMa seeks to create genuine dialogue between stakeholders with divergent interests. Through this shared and equitable management of natural resources, it proposes a future vision for tropical forests: sustainable, inclusive, and deeply human.