case studies undp: association of forest communities of peten, guatemala
TRANSCRIPT
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 1/12
Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities
Guatemala
ASSOCIATION OFFOREST COMMUNITIESOF PETÉN
Empowered live
Resilient nation
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 2/12
UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES
Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that woor people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth
their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practitionthemselves guiding the narrative.
To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser
that details the work o Equator Prize winners – vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succto scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models
replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to ‘The Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years
the Equator Prize’, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.
Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiative’s searchable case study database.
EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding
Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe
Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Brandon Payne, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu
DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Par
Brandon Payne, Mariajosé Satizábal G.
AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Association o Forest Communities o Petén (ACOFOP), and in particular guidance and inputs o Carlos Kurzel. All photo credits courtesy o ACOFOP and Geo Gallice (http://www.ickr.com/people/dejeuxxMaps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.
Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Association o Forest Communities o Petén, Guatemala. Equator Initiative Case Stu
Series. New York, NY.
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 3/12
PROJECT SUMMARY The Association o Forest Communities o Petén ( Asociación
de Comunidades Forestales de Petén – ACOFOP) brings
together communities in the buer zone o the MayaBiosphere Reserve to manage orest concessions thatcollectively represent the world’s largest certied orest
area under community management.
The initiative has ensured community access to the orestby securing legal orest concessions or sustainable timberand non-timber orest product extraction at the local level.
Through pioneering use o certication schemes andbiological monitoring, this umbrella organization has helpedto conserve the orest’s biodiversity and improve livelihood
options or more than 14,000 community members. Theassociation is currently made up o 23 community-basedorganisations, each o which is represented within anequitable and democratic governance structure.
KEY FACTS
EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2002
FOUNDED: 1995
LOCATION: Petén Department, Northern Guatemala
BENEFICIARIES: 2,000 families, 30 communities
BIODIVERSITY: 1,400 plant species, 450 animal species
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background and Context 4
Key Activities and Innovations 6
Biodiversity Impacts 8
Socioeconomic Impacts 8
Policy Impacts 9
Sustainability 10
Replication 11
Partners 11
ASSOCIATION OF FORESTCOMMUNITIES OF PETÉNGuatemala
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 4/12
4
he Association o Forest Communities o Petén (ACOFOP) bringsogether 23 community organizations that manage community
orest concessions in the Multiple Use Zone o the Maya Biosphereeserve in northern Guatemala with the aim o improving the quality lie o their members through sustainable resource management.
ince its oundation in 1995, ACOFOP has advanced the extension o orest certication in the reserve, established a good administrative
tructure, and implemented eective tools or re control andreventing illegal logging. More than 14,000 people benet directly
rom the sustainable use o orest resources and the successulmarketing o ACOFOP products.
Environmental threats in the Selva Maya
he Maya Biosphere Reserve (RBM) is Central America’s mostiologically diverse ecosystem and contains the majority o the
ropical rainorest still remaining in Guatemala. Located in the Peténegion o northern Guatemala, this reserve is an important source notnly o biodiversity but also o livelihoods and the resources upon
which the local communities depend. Furthermore, this stretch o ropical orest represents a signicant heritage site or local culture
nd history as it contains over 200 Mayan ruins.
he reserve is located in the heart o the Selva Maya, a large tropicalorest which spans neighboring portions o Guatemala, Belize, and
Mexico and serves as a critical watershed or local people and as amajor carbon sink or the entire planet. In the mid-20th century, the
elva Maya, which had gained attention or its wealth o precious
woods and other resources, became a receiving zone or domesticmigrants, placing intense pressure on agricultural resources and
reating serious national security problems rom illegal trafckingn ora, auna, archeological resources, undocumented migrants,nd drugs. As a result o these activities, the tropical rainorest was
eing rapidly destroyed or degraded, leading to the loss o largeumbers o plant and animal species. This began to aect the
tability o orest ecosystems and the livelihoods o thousands o
orest dwellers and millions o others who depend on the oresa range o products and services. In the late 1980s, as part o a
conservation movement in Mesoamerica, governments in the rebegan to promote legal tools or the protection o natural resouHowever, in the absence o a detailed analysis o the situation
welare o peasant and indigenous communities was not takenconsideration.
Land use in the Maya Biosphere Reserve
In Guatemala, the Legislative Decree 4-89 Protected Areas Actpassed in 1989, creating the Guatemalan System o Protected A
(SIGAP) and the National Council o Protected Areas (CONAP)latter became the governing body o all the protected areas in
country. In 1990, ater the creation o the Maya Biosphere Res(Legislative Decree 5-90), CONAP initiated a particularly rigid p
which was detached rom dialogue with the communities had been living in these zones beore the creation o the resOvernight, resident communities ound themselves living ins
protected area where their economic and traditional activities greatly restricted. The lack o communication between the
and orest dependent communities – and the incompatibility orestrictive policy with the needs o the people – led to a seri
conicts which orced the state to settle on a strategy that reconeconomic and social development with the conservation o na
resources. The new goal was to conserve natural biodiveand cultural values while simultaneously beneting the livecommunities living within it. In order to better manage the res
the area has been divided into zones: core, multiple use, and bzones.
ACOFOP organizations work in the multiple use and buer zwhile the core zones are strict conservation areas. Multiple
zones constitute approximately 50 per cent o the Maya BiospReserve and are devoted to the sustainable harvest o xate p
(Chamaedorea spp.), allspice (Pimienta dioica), chicle gum (Mani
Background and Context
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 5/12
55
pp.), wicker (Philodendron spp.) and other wild plants, seeds, timbernd auna, and contain restricted areas or carrying out traditionalctivities and the utilization o non-renewable resources under strict
ontrols. The multiple use zones in turn are divided into specialse zones and cultural and archeological preservation areas. The
rimary objective o the buer zone is to relieve pressure on theeserve through the stabilization o appropriate land and resource
sage in the area adjacent to the southern edge o the Maya
iosphere Reserve. The communities living in this zone compriseative Mayans and Ladino armers. Environmental threats stemming
rom human activity in the buer zone have traditionally includedhe indiscriminate elling o timber, population growth, and internal
migration.
A community-based orest management solution
eeking to address environmental and social problems, theommunities o Petén came together to orm the Association o orest Communities o Peten (ACOFOP), an umbrella organization
which supports the creation and management o communityorest concessions as a legal mechanism or sharing rights and
esponsibilities between resource users and the state. Prior toACOFOP’s ormation, these concessions were granted almost
xclusively to timber companies, and ACOFOP ought to provehat communities possessed the technical and nancial capacityo manage the concessions—a ght which ultimately ended
with communities gaining control o 445,804 hectares o orestoncessions. ACOFOP now comprises 23 local community-based
rganizations, representing 30 rural communities and approximately,000 amilies. These communities have assumed responsibility or
he sustainable management o orest resources within the reserve,nd over hal o the managed orest has been internationallyertied by the Forest Stewardship Council, making it one o the
argest certied orest areas under community management in theworld.
he original vision o ACOFOP was to train community leaders (both
men and women) in the management o orest concessions. Towardhis end, the project has organized local and regional workshops onubjects such as administration, business, gender, communication
trategies, and legal regulations. An independent body was creatednd devoted specically to activities promoting the participation
women and youth in every aspect o the process. As a result,management capacity has increased as has the inuence o directors
n the political and legal decision-making processes governingmanagement o the reserve. Over time, the vision expanded to
nclude the development o technical and business capacities o ommunity organizations, with an emphasis on the training o ommunity leaders in the technical and administrative dimensions o
ertication, domestic marketing, and product export. More recently,ACOFOP has begun to promote alternative livelihoods and new
ses o non-timber orest products in an eort to diversiy sources income. Examples o new sources o income include ecotourism,
he production and sale o medicinal plants, and handicrats. These
trategic actions have placed ACOFOP’s community stewardshiprogram on the local, national, and international stages.
Governance and organizational Structure
As part o its institutional structure, ACOFOP encour
transparency, accountability, and social monitoring as permastyles o management, emphasizing the ree ow o inorma
and consultation with all stakeholders. The internal organizatimade up o elected ofcials who serve two-year terms on var
decision-making bodies: the General Assembly, the Managem
Board, the Audit Commission, the Executive Board, and obodies. The General Assembly is composed o all indiv
members and organizations, the latter through their respective representatives, and is superior in terms o authority to the o
decision-making bodies.
The Management Board is made up o nine organizations anindividuals who are elected by secret vote and are charged
the efcient execution o the General Assembly’s decisions.posts are president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and voting members. It is the president who is the legal representa
o the Association. The Audit Commission is independent oManagement Board and nominated by the General Assem
Composed o three active members (individuals or organizatiits main unction is to ensure the Management and Execu
Boards carry out their activities in accordance with what has bplanned and approved by the General Assembly. In this wayAudit Commission is also responsible or auditing the budge
each member organization. The Executive Board comprisesexecutive director who is appointed by the General Assembly a
responsible or implementing, in coordination with the ManagemBoard, the planned activities and mandates o the Assembly.
executive director leads the technical team which is divideddierent areas and programs o work, depending on the exineeds. Within the organization there are other entities w
although not regulated in the statutes, are o great importor the community stewardship process. One such example is
Advisory Council, which is made up o key leaders who have at spoint played a role within the community organizations. They
advice on high priority issues in order to help the board o direand/or Executive Board to make more consensus-based decisio
This project stands as one o the largest and most successul orprojects in Latin America. It has successully created and sustain
new approach toward orest resources. Communities view the as an important part o their livelihoods and heritage and there
manage it on a sustainable basis.
“The industrial revolution has provided
development and comfort to humanity whic
will be the balance of debt we owe to our
planet. The responsibility is all of ours to
repay it.”
Carlos Kurzel, ACOFOP
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 6/12
6
Key Activities and Innovations
ACOFOP manages, executes, and redirects international cooperationprojects in order to strengthen the social management and
conomic development o the associated communities with the
oal o conserving natural and cultural resources o the region.he activities can be broken up into our main program areas: 1)
conomic diversication and local management o the communityorganizations o Petén; 2) capacity-building, planning, and integrated
management o non-timber orest products (gum, pepper, xatepalm, Maya nut, and guano) and xate enrichment plantations inecovering orests in the reserve; 3) encouraging the integrated
management o natural and cultural resources through communityparticipation in ecotourism; and 4) strengthening the institutional,
political, and business aspects o community orest stewardship inetén.
Participatory planning and building local capacity
he rst program area ocuses on creating and strengthening theechnical and administrative capacities o the member community
organizations, contributing to an integrated, participatoryevelopment model which is necessary or economic diversication
nd sustainable development in the long term. To this end, theyave established a participatory process o planning, monitoring,nd evaluation which allows community organizations and
nstitutions to be protagonists in the implementation o projects,
acilitating knowledge-sharing at the community and institutionalevels through each step o the process. As part o this process, theommunity organizations take on activities to add value to their
products and promote agreements at the local level to help theocal governing structure to interact more efciently with private
business initiatives. Through capacity-building eorts, ACOFOP
as established open communication channels both among andwithin the community organizations. Further, regular consultative
workshops are held to share inormation regarding environmentalnd economic conditions, opportunities, successes, and setbacks.
Income generation and diversication
The second program area promotes income generation and
sustainable management o resources in the Maya BiospReserve by oering capacity building and technical assist
to community members in terms o the cultivation, harvespackaging and selling o xate palm and other non-timber
products, while meeting requirements or Forest StewardCouncil (FSC) certication. ACOFOP has helped ve local ororganizations create management plans and inventories o
palm, gum, pepper, Maya nuts, and guano. These plans appa zone o approximately 140,000 hectares and satisy the
requirements established by the National Council on ProteAreas. ACOFOP has assisted another ve community organiza
to establish xate palm nurseries and plantations in secondary oand those damaged by orest re. Approximately 100 hectarland (20 hectares or each o the ve groups) are administrate
each one o the beneciary orestry organizations, adding uabout 960,000 plants or each organization, 4,800,000 in total.
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 7/12
7
Community-driven ecotourism
he third program area encourages community participation in
ustainable cultural tourism as a strategy or strengthening themanagement structure o the reserve and improving the living
onditions o the inhabitants o the Selva Maya. ACOFOP aimso contribute rst to strengthening the existing community
nterprises, analyzing internal and external actors that limit or
avor their development. In order to this, the association organizesnowledge exchanges, thus bringing to Petén experiences and
nsights which shorten the learning curve on strategic issuesor member communities and their ethno-tourism enterprises.
ACOFOP also conducts trainings on various themes o ecotourismevelopment and administration. The strategy is based on an
ntensive evidence-based process that promotes understandingmong the communities o the value o their natural and cultural
esources and the potential to improve their living conditionshrough tourism, as well as the benets and risks associated withhe tourism sector. ACOFOP has also cultivated strategic alliances
with similar organizations in southern Mexico and Belize and is inhe process o orming a ‘Great Alliance or Community Tourism’ in
he Selva Maya as a vehicle o cooperation and political advocacy orhe uture o the Selva Maya’s protected areas.
Strengthening community orest stewardship in Petén
he ourth program area contributes to improvements in thenstitutional and political perormance o ACOFOP, through the
trengthening o social capital as the basis o a new strategy to
reposition the agenda o community orestry in a way that rerecent socioeconomic and political changes in the region. ACOconsiders its main asset to be the social capital o commu
stewardship—which takes the orm o community organizatcommissions, working groups, and other mechanisms or consulta
and cooperation—and is dedicated to capacity-building in this aSpecically, ACOFOP trains community organizations and indiv
members in administration and business skills and uses a
processes (undertaken by community leaders and business leadto document successes, mistakes, and lessons learned. Through
integrated management o natural resources and the promotioalternative livelihoods, ACOFOP continues to deepen its success
the areas o promoting community stewardship.
ACOFOP’s main innovation can be ound in its organizational strucwhich brings together individual community concessions so
natural resources can be used to benet local people in a sustainand integrated way. This system was born o the lawlessness thatexisted within protected areas. ACOFOP has paved the way o
adjudication and transer o orest concessions to civil society groACOFOP believed—and has since been proven right—that
sharing o responsibilities related to the administration, protecand management o the multiple-use zones o the reserve w
lead not only to more eective conservation eorts but also toimproved well-being o local people. ACOFOP’s success in brincommunities together or these common goals has made it on
the most successul community steward organizations in the wand has contributed to the preservation o the natural and cult
heritage o Guatemala.
Table 1: Economic Diversifcation and Local Management o the Community Organizations o Petén
Organisation Project Small Grant ($)
Community
Contribution ($)
Project total
($)
S.C. Custosel Community tourism business "Green World" 37,267.08 26,335.40 63.602.48
Arbol Verde Production and marketing o urniture 37,267.08 26,059.44 63,336.52
Coop. La Tecnica Production o white corn 36,521.74 17,482.92 54,004.66
Laborantes Del Bosque Enrichment o Xate palm 34,451.30 16,681.24 51,132.55
OMYC Uaxactun Enrichment o Xate palm 37,267.08 18,777.95 56,045.03
Impulsores Suchitecos Tongue-and-groove woodworking project 35,403.73 41,331.06 76,734.78
AFISAP Honey production 37,173.91 33,059.41 70,243.33
Coop. Carmelita Establishment o carpenters' workshop 37,267.08 13,751.55 51,018.63
S.C. El Esuerzo "Yaloch" community tourism 37,267.08 14,898.26 52,165.34
Coop. Los Laureles Strengthening o community shops 24,844.72 14,172.36 39,017.08
Coop. Union Maya Itza Production o Xate 18,633.54 9,316.77 27,950.31
Coop. La Lucha Production o white corn 18,403.11 21,801.24 40,204.35
Total: 391,767.45 253,687.61 645,455.07
ource: ACOFOP website. Amounts calculated at an exchange rate o Q. 8.05 = USD 1.00
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 8/12
8
Impacts
BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS
The Petén region o Guatemala is known worldwide or its highbiological diversity and cultural wealth, with some 1,400 knownplant species and approximately 450 animal species, including
aguars (P. onca goldmani ), pumas (Puma concolor ), ocelotsLeopardus pardalis), margays (Leopardus wiedii ), spider monkeysAteles geofroyi yucatanensis), howler monkeys ( Alouatta pigra),apirs (Tapirus bairdii ), crocodiles (Crocodylus moreletii ), red brocketMazama americana) and white-tail deer (Odocoileus virginianus),
harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja), several species o hawk, and scarletmacaws ( Ara macao).
ACOFOP community organizations hold more than 450,000 hectares
o natural orest in the orm o sustainable management concessions,s granted by contracts with the government o Guatemala. These
oncessions guarantee the access and management o natural andultural resources o the Multiple Use Zone in the Maya Biosphere
Reserve or 25 years. As dictated by management plans, only select
reas are used or timber extraction, with an average o one tree perhectare cut down, thus minimizing the negative impact o resource
use on the orest. The remainder o the area is used or collecting non-imber orest products. Giving orest dependent communities an
economic incentive to participate in environmental stewardship hasesulted in environmental benets ranging rom the conservation
o endemic ora and auna to the protection o a wide variety o ecosystem services. Additionally, there has been a considerableeduction in the requency o orest res and illegal encroachment
nto ragile ecosystems. So too, the advancing agricultural rontier haslowed in areas managed by communities thanks to the investment
o more than USD 250,000 each year in the monitoring and ghtingo res. Changing attitudes in the community away rom slash andburn agriculture towards sustainable orest management has greatly
ontributed to the sustainability o conservation eorts. Communitymanagement has also meant the promotion o non-contaminating
organic technologies in local ood production.
Global orest management standards are applied throughForest Stewardship Council (FSC). Participating communities in
in technology, manpower, nancial resources, and the controsurveillance o areas under management, ensuring their proteand conservation. Scientic studies have been conducted on
multiple-use zone in contrast to the core (conservation) areasnational parks. The results obtained are encouraging and show
the protection o natural resources o the Maya Biosphere Reshas been eective in the hands o communities. According to a s
conducted by RainForest Alliance rom 2002 to 2007, the aveannual deorestation rate or the entire Maya Biosphere Resincluding the core protected areas, was twenty times higher
the deorestation rate or the community-managed concessBased on current trends, the Reserve is expected to lose 38 per
o its 1986 orest cover by 2050, with most o that loss withinwestern core protected areas and the buer zone. This means
in the uture, the community concessions are expected to constan increasing percentage o the remaining orest cover. Furtherequency and extent o wildres within the Reserve have v
greatly and shown little signs o decreasing—7 to 20 percenorest area is burnt annually—since 1998, while the area bu
within community-managed concessions is much lower andbeen steadily dropping—rom 6.5 percent in 1998 to 0.1 perce
2007.
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTSApproximately 14,000 people benet directly rom sustain
orest management in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Commmembers and their amilies now benet rom the nancial sec
o newly created jobs as well as revenues received rom the andistribution o prots generated by the sustainable managemo land concessions. The average local wage is now more than
12.00 per day. In addition, revenues generated by the sustainmanagement o orests are being reinvested in the construc
o classrooms, study grants, teachers’ wages, and basic comm
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 9/12
ervices. Further, the association has contributed to training,
nrastructure, and equipment or healthcare centers, an investmentwhich has had a substantial and positive impact on reproductive
and maternal health in the communities.
Through the UNDP/GEF-Small Grants Program, USD 400,000 has
been invested in economic diversication projects, allowing thecommunity-based concessions to add value to their products,
hereby generating more income or their respective organizations.Twelve new community businesses were established in the Maya
Biosphere Reserve, all with viable long-term business plans. Somecommunities have even begun to export certied and sustainablyharvested timber to international markets, leveraging ACOFOP’s
connections with the commercial orestry sector.
ACOFOP also works actively toward the development o newopportunities or income generation, such as community-based
ecotourism and the production and marketing o medicinal plantsand crats. Through capacity-building workshops, communitymembers have gained skills related to these alternative livelihoods
as well as orest management and administration. These skills
have better positioned communities in the labor market to ndemployment and earn additional income. The minimum salaryn these communities is now USD 7-10 per day, compared to
he national average o USD 4 per day. Further, ACOFOP directlygenerates approximately 40,000 days o paid employment per year.
n addition to income generation and investment, ACOFOP hascontributed to economic progress in other ways. For example,
eaders (both men and women) rom community organizationshave developed technical skills related to the administrativeand marketing aspects o orest management, all thanks to the
community stewardship process. The issue o women’s participationn development and stewardship projects has been controversial and
challenging, but signicant achievements have been made. Womenhold key positions in decision-making boards in the communities,
manage projects, and are behind many o the activities involvingnon-timber orest resources, such as xate, gum, pepper, bayal,wicker, and Maya nut, as these are products that are traditionally
harvested by women.
POLICY IMPACTS
The communities holding Maya Biosphere Reserve orests
achieved a high level o national and international representaand, through the leadership o their representatives, galegitimacy and credibility in policymaking ora. As a result, ACO
is given political breadth to participate actively in policy discoin areas that aect its constituent communities. The associ
has been delegated authority over migration as well as the ilappropriation o lands inside the concession boundaries. Fur
action has been taken to ensure that external pressure to granconcessions in the orest have been resisted.
The management o orest concessions has necessitatesignicant investment in monitoring to prevent thet and il
human settlements and to prevent, combat, and control ores. Monitoring activities required a cooperative relation
with government authorities, and provided a basis or develowhat has become a mutually benecial relationship. In a meewith national authorities, ACOFOP obtained a commitment
the Executive Secretary o the President o Guatemala to cont
supporting the communities in their arduous work o conserorests in the Petén region. ACOFOP also prompted the prevgovernment to strengthen control and surveillance, who prov
the community with 4x4 vehicles to patrol orest areas and the needed to improve strategic checkpoints. Owing to its lobbeorts and strong track-record, ACOFOP has also launche
payment or ecosystem services (carbon credits) initiative whichprovide another revenue stream to und community monito
While the association has been able to create a strong relationwith government authorities, cooperation remains limited
lack o long-term consistency in national policy and the turnovgovernment every our years.
Despite all o its successes, there is still scope or ACOFOP to impits standing in public opinion at the national level. Attemptin
inuse community interests into policy debates and decimaking processes is crucial or the successul conservatio
natural resources. Both in the Petén region and nationally, thas been little dissemination o community-based managemsuccesses. A lack o knowledge about the project’s actions ha
to limited popular support or certain projects. Disseminatioinormation on successes and ailures to the population “en m
and to communities undertaking similar projects in environmstewardship is o critical importance.
9
Table 2: Training in Management o Non-Timber Products
Organisation Men Women
Sociedad Civil Impulsores Suchitecos 27 1
Sociedad Civil Laborantes del Bosque 79 25
Sociedad Civil El Esuerzo 43 9
Sociedad Civil Custodios de la Selva 79 16
Sociedad Civil Arbol Verde 344 56
Sociedad Civil OMYC 244 92
Asociacion Forestal Integral San Andres 178 14
Cooperativa Carmelita 63 46
Cooperativa Union Maya ltza 145 3
La Bendicion 35 0
Total 1,237 262
ource: ACOFOP website.
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 10/12
10
Sustainability and Replication
SUSTAINABILITYocial sustainability: In the early days o ACOFOP, strengtheningocial capital was a priority and one o the main challenges. It
was difcult to convince orest dependent communities to placeollective concerns ahead o individual ones. Accumulation o he social capital and trust needed to uel ACOFOP activities took
ears. The process, however, was essential or creating a commonision. The principle o unity that is now the glue o ACOFOP makes
t one o the most pioneering and socially sustainable initiatives inhe region. Community ownership over conservation activities is
trengthened and reinorced through extension support, trainings
nd workshops, and advice to community organizations. Theraining and participation o community leaders are key components
the process, and ACOFOP has oered leadership training tover 500 individuals in member communities. The consistent and
requent ow o inormation to and rom community members ondministrative and management processes has been central to the
roject’s social sustainability and success.
nvironmental sustainability: Annual investment in surveillance
nd control has been one important remedy or the problems o eorestation and orest degradation in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
Without question, however, the community philosophy o seeinghe orest as an economic asset and source o development has
een the crucial element in slowing the progress o the agriculturalrontier. Thanks to ACOFOP’s leadership, the orest is now seens an indispensable element or achieving economic and social
evelopment, the means by which communities benet directlynd indirectly, and the promise or uture generations to inherit an
nvironment suitable or living.
conomic sustainability: Income diversication, through theustainable use o orest resources, generates the livelihoodsecessary or poverty reduction and long-term economic
ustainability.
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 11/12
1111
REPLICATION
ACOFOP’s successul experiment in community stewardshipas most certainly inspired and strengthened other community
management processes. The work and experiences o ACOFOPnd its member community organizations are transmitted throughonerences, summits, and seminars. In the experience o ACOFOP,
he exchange o knowledge armer-to-armer has been essential in
hortening the uptake time o best practice. Groups are able to learnrom (and ultimately avoid) past mistakes. Peer-to-peer knowledgexchanges have consolidated relationships between community
rganizations and have proven to be key instruments or leveragingommunity development processes. In the early stages o ACOFOP’s
nvolvement in peer-to-peer learning it encountered the issue o a
ack o ollow-up. This problem was overcome through the creation an association-wide monitoring and evaluation mechanism and
y promoting community networks.
he ACOFOP model has not been replicated in the Peten regionor the simple reason that there are no urther areas o orest thatan be given in concession under the orest management model.
he model is, however, being replicated in Honduras, Nicaragua,razil, and Bolivia, countries where ACOFOP has had a direct role in
isseminating the Petén community experience. There are severaley elements that stand out as actors aecting the successul
eplicability o the project. ACOFOP has ound that strengtheninghe technical, administrative, and management skills o communityeaders is necessary or successul replication o the model. In
he case o ACOFOP, the pre-existence o regionally-based traderganizations devoted to the marketing o timber and non-timber
orest products was extremely valuable. The participation o oreignechnical assistance organizations was also critical in shoring
up political support and in developing the necessary na
and technical capacity. Finally, active community participaand dedication to the project was a prerequisite that canno
overstated.
PARTNERS
Each partner represents a strong strategic alliance and contrib
to the success o the organization. ACOFOP has developed a sp
capacity to address the most key actors in each sector: lenvironmental, advocacy, and nancial. The Single Union o Ru
Tappers and Wood Workers (SUCHILMA), a community-b
organization which pre-dates ACOFOP supported the project its inception and at one time hosted ACOFOP’s central administraofces. ACOFOP has received nancial support rom the I
Ecclesiastic Organization or Development Cooperation (ICCO)Ford Foundation, the German Technical Social Cooperation Se
(DED), the Christian Romero Initiative (CIR), Swiss Coopera(HELVETAS), and the community-based organizations constitu
ACOFOP. Government partners include: National CouncProtected Areas (CONAP); National Forestry Institute (INAB); Mino Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA); and the Congre
the Republic. Non-governmental partners include: ASOREMnational association o conservation NGOs which has suppo
with national policy advocacy; the Center or Legal and SAction o Guatemala, who specialize in the protection o na
resources by leveraging Guatemalan law; Rainorest Alliance, have supported ACOFOP with certication, business developmand production issues; the Nature or Lie Foundation (NPV),
support with technical orest management issues; the Central MAssociation; and the National Network o Community Organizat
who are working with ACOFOP to create a nation-wide movemecoordinated community-based conservation initiatives.
“The lack of shared will, conscience and commitment to protecting our planet can only resul
in an environmental debt that we are not able to pay off... We are part of biodiversity. We mu
foster a philosophy of sustainability that recognizes this fact. Wealth is not only measured in
money, but in the quality of life nature offers us. Let us be sustainable in every sense.”
Carlos Kurzel, ACOFOP
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF FOREST COMMUNITIES OF PETEN, Guatemala
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-association-of-forest-communities-of-peten-guatemala 12/12
Click the thumbnails below to read more case studies like this:
URTHER REFERENCE
ACOFOP website http://www.acoop.org
ACOFOP Photo Story (Vimeo) http://vimeo.com/27238357
Cortave, M. ACOFOP’s Experiences in the Sustainable Forest Management o the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Petén, Guatemala (PowerP
presentation) http://www.orest-trends.org/documents/les/doc_1200.pd
Taylor, P. L. 2009. Conservation, community, and culture? New organizational challenges o community orest concessions in the M
Biosphere Reserve o Guatemala, Journal o Rural Studies http://www.unesco.org/mab/doc/newsletter/Maya.pd
Equator Initiative
Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017Tel: +1 646 781 4023www.equatorinitiative.org
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating or change onnecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.
The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati
o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.
©2012 by Equator Initiative
All rights reserved