In Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), a large expanse of tropical forest in the northern province of Petén, sustainable forestry practices are helping to counter decades of deforestation. Established by the Guatemalan government in 1990 and recognised by UNESCO, the MBR covers approximately 2.1 million hectares (5.2 million acres) and is the largest natural forest in Central America.

The reserve is divided into three main zones: a 23% buffer zone protecting the southern edge from encroachment, a 39% core zone designated for national parks and conservation areas, and a 38% multiple-use zone where sustainable harvesting and community livelihoods are permitted. Within the multiple-use zone, 12 community forestry concessions collectively manage around 400,000 hectares.

These concessions, first created in 1997 after Guatemala’s civil war, have played a crucial role in reducing illegal logging and preventing deforestation. While the reserve as a whole lost nearly 13% of its natural forest cover over 24 years, these community-managed areas have maintained near-zero deforestation, described by the National Council of Protected Areas (Conap) as “green islands” in a heavily logged region.

One such concession is managed by the Carmelita cooperative, which operates a 43,000-hectare area. Here, logging follows strict rotational harvest plans: only two trees are felled per 1,000 hectares per year. Trees are carefully selected based on strict criteria, including size and abundance, and each tree is mapped and numbered before harvest. The goal is to maintain forest health and allow natural regeneration, with harvests paused for at least four years in any given section.

Forestry engineers emphasize that cutting is done according to sustainable standards verified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Compliance is closely monitored, with inspections after logging operations checking stump condition and tree-felling techniques. Non-compliance results in fines, ensuring accountability.

The community cooperative also invests in adding value locally. It operates several sawmills and woodworking shops, producing furniture, guitar necks, and building kits. This marks a shift from previous practices of selling raw lumber, enabling increased income for local workers—95% of whom are community members. Household incomes in these concessions reportedly reach up to three times the national poverty level, supporting health, education, and social services.

Elsewhere in the reserve, the community of La Pasadita provides an example of the challenges and possibilities of community forestry. Its concession was suspended in 2009 due to illegal logging. Since then, with support from the Rainforest Alliance’s Prosperous and Resilient Landscape programme, the community has focused on restorative forestry, including operating the reserve's largest community nursery, which has grown over 120,000 seedlings from 23 tree species.

This nursery supports efforts to rehabilitate degraded pastureland vulnerable to wildfires and promotes biodiversity by planting species favored by wildlife such as the scarlet macaw. The community’s renewed approach has involved participation from women and youth, generating social and economic benefits and creating local employment.

Conap is evaluating the La Pasadita restoration model as a potential framework for national policies on productive restoration, which could lead to the community regaining its concession rights.

Together, these efforts in the Maya Biosphere Reserve demonstrate a multifaceted approach to forest conservation that combines environmental stewardship with community development, providing a potential blueprint for sustainable forestry in tropical regions facing deforestation pressures.