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= Selva Maya = The Selva Maya is a tropical forest region extending over Belize, northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico. It is the most extensive tropical rainforest of Mesoamerica. The presence of an important ecological and environmental gradient has resulted in more than 20 ecosystems, from the evergreen forests of Petén to the dry forests in the northern Yucatán Peninsula.

Protected Areas
The Protected Areas are of great importance to the flora and fauna of the Selva Maya. Different categories of protection exist, such as National Parks, Forest Reserves and Biosphere Reserves.

Cooperation
Multiple institutions work in the three countries to conserve the ecosystems of the Selva Maya and ensure the sustainable use of natural and cultural resources. In addition to the federal authorities designated to manage the protected areas: MAFFESD (Belize), CONAP (Guatemala), CONANP (Mexico), various other government, non-governmental and civil society organizations collaborate in this region.

Project: Protection and Sustainable Use
With the support of the German Federal Government, the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development (GIZ, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) works in the Selva Maya in the protection and sustainable use of tropical forests. The program’s objective is for key government and civil society actors to carry out coordinated measures for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources.

Project: Support for the Monitoring of Biodiversity and Climate Change
In order to contribute to the strengthening of regional governance, since August 2016 the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ, German Cooperation for Sustainable Development Agency), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), jointly with the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD); implements the regional project Support for monitoring of biodiversity and climate change in the Selva Maya. The project is also supported by the NGO Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which has been spearheading the monitoring of biodiversity in Guatemala since 1992.

Conservation of Protected Areas
To promote efforts that can replace a lack of institutional staff, particularly in areas considered “hot spots” due to the incidence of environmental crimes (hunting, extraction of flora and fauna, etc.), some protected areas in Mexico rely on local leadership immersed in zones of influence in the area. Since approximately 2010 and thanks to financial incentives from the Community Policing Program (PROVICOM) and the Temporary Employment Program (PET), the Bala’an K’aax Flora and Fauna Protection Area (APFF BK) has supported the establishment of community brigades that help this area achieve its goals of reducing threats through a Participatory Monitoring Program, strengthening both the quality and quantity of its participants.

In 2014 through the initiative of the protected area and the local communities involved, the Network of Community Surveilance “Muuch Kanan K’aax” (which in Maya means “together we take care of the forest”) was created. It involves eight groups of surveillance brigades monitoring the following ejidos (communal lands): Ejido Carolina (noted for being made up by women), Ejido San Francisco Sabana (with two groups), Ejido Candelaria II, Ejido San Isidro Poniente (with two groups), Ejido Ignacio M. Altamirano II, and Ejido San Felipe III and Ejido Venustiano Carranza. Altogether there are a total of approximately 70 brigadiers.

The Belize Central Corridor
The Belize Central Corridor (BCC) is made up mostly of private lands. It connects the two main protected blocks of forest in Belize: Rio Bravo to the north and the Maya Mountains to the south. The BCC has provided many of the communities within or around it with land for sustenance agriculture, hunting, construction materials and many other products. Its forests, especially those along the Belize River, have helped maintain the purity of the main water source of communities in and around the BCC: the Belize River Valley and Belize City. Regionally, the BCC is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor that connects the Selva Maya with other forest areas. Because forests have been transformed or degraded, the BCC is becoming the crucial link between wildlife species that migrate and move between the two forest blocks with the long-term goal of maintaining healthy populations.

Monitoring
Given the premise of achieving the survival of the Selva Maya it is imperative to develop protection and adaptation measures. To do this, it is necessary to have reliable and comparable monitoring data that can help distinguishing changes in vegetation cover and species diversity in the region due to anthropogenic factors.

In Belize, Guatemala and Mexico there are several qualified institutions that investigate the impacts of climate change and socio-economic development on biodiversity. Monitoring results allow capture trends and provide guidance for implementing development plans and for management. Monitoring also makes it possible to assess the efficiency of conservation instruments in ensuring success in preserving biodiversity and measuring the impacts of climate change.

The next step is linking monitoring systems between the three countries of the Selva Maya to coordinate efforts and thus improve information, policies and management of natural areas.

Land Use Planning
The conceptualization of land use is based on different systems and management strategies according to the level of interaction between populations and natural resources. Some refer to territories under some form of federal, state or municipal conservation protection, others to local or regional ecological planning systems, to community systems and finally to planning systems in urban areas.

The most relevant system for communities whose economy depends on intensive access to natural resources is ecological planning. This environmental policy instrument regulates land use and production activities to achieve environmental protection, preservation and the sustainable use of natural resources based on the analysis of deterioration trends and potential of use of natural resources.

SEGEPLAN-CONAP
One of the prerequisites for ensuring the sustainable management of resources is the joint effort by different sectors of development and different levels of government. In Guatemala, for example, the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP), is responsible for the management of protected areas, one of which is the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR). In parallel, the Ministry of Planning and Programming of the Presidency (SEGEPLAN) is responsible for planning community development, including communities found in protected area Buffer Zones. With the state’s support, SEGEPLAN executes basic infrastructure projects, improving the quality of life of the populations located in and outside these areas.

CONAP and SEGEPLAN have conducted joint training and technical meetings to encourage municipalities to develop work plans according to the rules established in the different protected area zones, taking into account environmental legislation. It is essential to continue strengthening interagency coordination so that ecosystems are not affected by the dynamics of natural resource management implemented by populations in the region.

Municipal Council for the Sustainable Rural Development of Calakmul
The Municipal Council for the Sustainable Rural Development of Calakmul (CMDRS) in Campeche, Mexico is an example of broad social participation where producers and representatives from communities, the three branches of government and civil society meet to promote sustainable rural development in the municipal territory of Calakmul. The CMDRS meets monthly at their General Assembly of Advisors, and serves as an advisory and management body with the participation of producers and other actors of the rural society of Calakmul. It is involved in defining regional priorities and attempts to influence planning of resources that the federal, the state government and the municipality agree to earmark to invest in production for sustainable rural development.

Honey
The Selva Maya has great floristic diversity that favors the production of bees. The activity is called apiculture when European and/or Africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera) are raised, and Meliponiculture when raising “native bees” or “stingless bees,” which are distributed in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The greatest number of these species (about 300 ) are found in the Americas.

Both apiculture and meliponiculture are of great ecosystem and economic importance whenever bees, regardless of type, pollinate wild plants in the ecosystem as well as cash crops. Both activities are an important source of income for the rural sector and are environmentally friendly by contributing to the conservation of protected areas.

Ramon Nut
The seed of the Ramón tree (Brosimum alicastrum), known as Ramón nut or Maya nut, is of high nutritional value. Collecting, processing and marketing this seed can generate additional income and enhance natural resource conservation. In previous years, Ramón nut Value Chain Committees were established in the Petén, Guatemala and Quintana Roo, Mexico. These committees are a forum for dialogue between producers, social organizations and government institutions linked to the seed’s use and development. As a result, target producer groups have strengthened their technical and organizational capabilities, and this has helped boost the marketing of products derived from the seed (like ramón coffee and flour) in different areas including fairs and festivals.

Chicle
Chicle is a gum or latex extracted from the sapodilla tree (Manilkara sapota), one of the most abundant species in the Selva Maya. The chiclero, or chicle producer, selects appropriate trees, climbs them and makes “V”-shaped cuts to extract and collect the latex. The latex is then cooked in pots over low heat, stirring carefully to prevent boiling and spills. Once it coagulates, it is cooled and placed in wooden molds called “marquetas”, which is how it is traditionally marketed.

Chicle has played an important role in the economic development of the people living in the Selva Maya and was their income base until a few years ago. Currently its use is still important for multiple reasons. Since it is an extractive activity, forests are not deteriorated to produce it, and on the contrary, its extraction promotes environmental conservation. It generates jobs and income in the rainy season, when it is not possible to conduct other activities such as farming, beekeeping or timber extraction. Additionally, it fosters cultural roots in communities to the extent that sapodilla trees are the only trees not felled when preparing a plot for the milpa, or crop field.

Xate
Various palm species of the genus Chamaedorea are known as “xate”. These palms grow in the understory of mature primary and secondary forests in the Selva Maya (Belize, northern Guatemala and southern Mexico). Xate palms are used in floriculture. Although they are small compared to other palms, they are used in large flower arrangements as background and filling, or to complement and support other flowers and foliage. Xate is also used as an ornamental plant.

Xate has great commercial importance in Europe and the United States and is one of the more appreciated palms for ornamental use. In Guatemala, xate export is based on a high proportion of palms collected in their natural environment, and harvesting is significant in forest concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve Multiple Use Zone. Xate and other non-timber forest products are highly important in generating income for populations settled in this area, which is an important factor for forest conservation.

Timber
Forestry in the Selva Maya has occurred for many years. Due to a lack of regulatory mechanisms, it was often done unsustainably. However, there are institutional mechanisms capable of organizing areas rich in vegetation and reconciling the different economic interests in land use. To avoid forest devastation and make it possible for communities to produce timber without compromising natural resources, it is crucial to adopt an organizational vision capable of performing functions of planning, execution and protection, but above all that takes into consideration necessary measures to ensure the perpetuity and sustained yield of forests. This is being done in forest concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve Multiple Use Zone in Guatemala, some Mexican ejidos, or communal lands, and in forest reserves in Belize.

Species of potential use recognized for their wood quality include: mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), with high market value, threatened by habitat loss; red cedar (Cedrela odorata) whose wood is resistant to termites and highly prized for its quality; tzalám (Lysiloma latisiliquum), a species used in places that have been previously burned and highly prized by carpenters and joiners; chechen (Metopium brownei), used in construction and the production of fine furniture, handicrafts and musical instruments; pucté (Bucida buceras) and granadillo (Platymiscium yucatanum), used in construction and for making fine furniture, components of boats, instruments and crafts.

Forest Concessions
It is easy to talk about the sustainable use of resources, but in practice, a continuous and persistent effort is required. Fortunately, initiatives exist that confirm it is possible. After the creation of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in 1990, forest concessions for the integrated management of natural resources were promoted as the main instrument in the multiple-use reserve. The Association of Forest Communities of the Petén (ACOFOP) was created in 1995 from the need to represent the rights of community forestry organizations and strengthen partnerships. The entity is now comprised of 24 member organizations and is recognized nationally and internationally for the good management of natural and cultural resources of the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

Community forestry organizations, members of ACOFOP, use forest resources in a sustainable manner under management plans and international certification standards. Initially, the use of high-value timber species such as mahogany or cedar was the main source of income. However, many organizations have succeeded in diversifying their management, also using other timber and non-timber products, such as xate leaves, ramón seed, pepper, and chicle or latex, among others, and by developing community and ecosystem tourism services. Comprehensive forest management has been achieved through these efforts, providing income to communities while ensuring the good condition and conservation of forests.

Agroecology
The Ministries of Agriculture in the Petén, Guatemala and Belize are well aware of the importance of agricultural production with an ecological perspective and a firm and permanent intent exists to promote sustainable rural development models. The Adaptive Agroecological Model is a successful case in point, which promotes establishment of mixed home gardens with local species used in the local diet. A good economic alternative for local inhabitants that also benefits the environment (as compared to monoculture) is producing staple crops such as beans and corn that provide food security for families, combined with fruit and timber species that provide products for home consumption and marketing/small-scale exchange.

Silvopastoral Systems
Extensive cattle ranching around the Selva Maya has become a problem of great magnitude. Because of the belief that animals do not eat grass if there are trees in pastures, the forest has been devastated to an unprecedented degree.

The reality is the opposite: animals need shade to ruminate and thus gain weight and meet their physiological, physical and chemical needs. Agriculture ministries and secretariats in the region are working with ranchers to transform extensive livestock production to a semi-intensive system. This allows for sustainable food production in the Selva Maya Buffer Zones.

Asodesty
In the Petén region of Guatemala several civil society organizations and the Administration of the Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park (PNYNN) decided to undertake sustainable development through a territorial approach, covering areas ranging from the head of the Melchor de Mencos to El Naranjo, San Clemente and Ramonal II, in Flores, and the PNYNN.

The territory’s natural, cultural, social and economic capital offers potential for development through provisioning ecosystem services, sustainable tourism and sustainable production. These activities are promoted with the intention of consolidating them as drivers of development in the region.

To meet organizational needs, the Association of Organizations of the Yaxha Region (ASODESTY) was created, and provides a space for dialogue and management that brings together the efforts of organizations and the local population. One of its purposes is to facilitate the integration of production-oriented development and conservation organizations in the southern region of the PNYNN. Another is to coordinate and channel investments and governmental, non-governmental and cooperative projects interested in supporting the comprehensive and sustainable development of the Yaxha territory.

Strategic Coordination Group (GEC) of The Selva Maya
In July 2015, the Selva Maya Strategic Coordination Group was formed and is made up of the regional director of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Mexico), the regional director of the National Council of Protected Areas (Guatemala) and the deputy director of the Forestry Department (Belize). The group’s vision is to become consolidated by 2020 as a recognized entity that coordinates and supports, technically and politically, the implementation of the conservation and sustainable use strategy of the Selva Maya. The goal of the SCG is to develop, coordinate and implement a trilateral comprehensive strategy (Belize-Guatemala-Mexico) for the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the Selva Maya. The group meets at least twice a year.

Cross-Border Cooperation
Several initiatives exist between Belize, Guatemala and Mexico to strengthen international governance for the protection and preservation of biodiversity and the environment. One is the tri-national Calakmul – Mirador-Río Azul National Park – Rio Bravo initiative. Its goal is to establish a space for dialogue that favors joint cooperation for the conservation of the Selva Maya and this region specifically.

Cross-border cooperation in environmental management and biodiversity conservation in the Selva Maya requires a strategy with a regional approach to encourage the implementation of coordinated action at the various levels of government. This promotes effective biodiversity conservation and natural resource management, and makes it more feasible to curb the enormous threats faced (traffic of flora and fauna, natural resource extraction, forest fires, poaching, land use change, deforestation, forest degradation and more recently, climate) change.

Fortunately, much of this transboundary ecosystem, which is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, is under some form of protection. Some of these protected areas of global importance include the Calakmul, Balam Kú and Balam Kín reserves in Mexico; the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala; and the Rio Bravo and Galon Jug reserves in Belize. It is crucial at the operational level for the technical- and field staff in these cross-border natural areas to be able to generate action plans that result in improved coordination activities such as border patrols, information exchange and biological monitoring. Additionally, a challenge like this requires the integration of a regional strategy that enables the participation and representation of the different social groups in the region.

Park Ranger Exchanges
Since 2012 an annual exchange of park rangers from cross-border natural areas in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico occurs. These exchanges have proved to be an excellent place to promote discussion about threats in the region and they have also resulted in the creation of joint agendas for strategy development and action plans to address threats and thus raise environmental governance in the region.

Strategies agreed to so far include border patrols, information exchange, capacity building (e.g., management and fire suppression, use of various equipment), and the development of biological monitoring protocols for key species, among others. So far, rangers of the three countries have received training in multiple areas, such as combating forest fires, the use of navigation equipment, using camera traps, data management, etc. All of this has helped increase the institutional presence at a local level. However, to ensure the impacts of these efforts in the medium and long term, it is necessary to establish a cooperation framework at a political level in the three countries that facilitates and sponsors these meetings both technically and financially.