Restore and Protect Forests in Mesoamerica

Since 2003, EcoLogic has successfully worked with its local partner, the 48 Cantones (cantónes are administrative regions) to promote and build local capacity for the restoration, management, and conservation of the 52,000-acre Communal Forest of Los Altos de San Miguel in the central highlands of Totonicapán, Guatemala. The 48 Cantones is a traditional indigenous governance body composed of local mayors that has supported communities and conservation of forest and water resources in the area for more than 800 years. 

The overwhelming majority of the 50 communities served in this project suffer from poverty, many from extreme poverty. The strategies co-implemented by EcoLogic and the 48 Cantones aid these communities in protecting the forest by reducing legal and illegal timber extraction. As a result of this collaboration, the deforestation rate in Totonicapán fell slightly below 1% last year, and hundreds of youth are now educated in traditional Maya Quiché conservation practices.

2014 Accomplishments

In the past year, EcoLogic and the 48 Cantones have successfully executed a multi-pronged approach.

1. A total of 132,000 native trees, including the Guatemalan Fir, White Pine, Red Pine, Cyprus, Oak, and Andean Alder, have been reforested in an area of approximately 286 acres of previously degraded forest.  Participants in reforestation activities included 2,950 participants from 29 communities, including 200 youth.  Delegates and directors of the Natural Resources Committee of the 48 Cantones perform forest monitoring once a month to supervise reforestation efforts, to assure that sapling trees are still intact, and to prevent illegal logging.  
2. A total of eight workshops were facilitated for 200 village water communities on the topics of forest restoration, watershed management, and habitat protection.  Additional workshops have been facilitated for 505 elementary school youth and 150 secondary school youth from 10 local schools. The majority of these youth will participate in a series of reforestation days when the next batch of native tree saplings growing in area greenhouses, also supported by EcoLogic, are ready for reforestation. Educating youth about conservation ensures that future generations lead in taking action to conserve and protect the forest against further degradation and damage.
3. Furthermore, 64% of residents depend on firewood as a source of energy.  The stove models we have piloted and introduced in Totonicapán now decrease firewood consumption by as much as 60%.  This translates into a typical supply of 75 sticks of fuel wood lasting for nearly a week, as opposed to only 2-3 days when using a traditional open-pit fire.

Long-term Impact

The forest restoration work, in combination with the reduced human pressure on resources through adoption of sustainable livelihood alternatives, has improved the long-term availability of natural resources such as microwatersheds for drinking water, timber, and soil.   Improved management of these resources, including multi-stakeholder collaboration around prevention of illegal logging, helps sustain livelihood practices such as agriculture, construction, and food preparation at the family level.  The educational component of our work has ensured that the majority of the residents in the local communities can demonstrate an understanding of environmental issues, the link between human activities and forest health, and resource availability.

Our partnership has received national and international acclaim for its focus on preserving a forest of socio-economic and cultural importance, in part through the preservation and dissemination of traditional Maya K’iche conservation practices.  Thank you for your ongoing support for our mission!