Restoration of Forest Landscapes in the Maya Biosphere Reserve

A collaborative approach to the ecological recovery of degraded areas

In 2019, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Guatemala Program, in collaboration with the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP) and local communities, began an intensified restoration pilot project in 2021. The goal is to restore ecosystems to their natural state, create biological corridors, reduce fragmentation, and provide sustainable livelihoods through a collaborative approach.

Currently, we have more than 14 sites undergroing restoration processes, including 5 with communities in the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) and one site within the Laguna del Tigre National Park. What began as a dream to recover these highly damaged sectors is now bearing fruit. These pilot tests are about to become areas with forest cover again, emphasizing the importance of community collaboration for the success of restoration and the creation of new economic opportunities.

 

Restoration approaches

 

Passive Restoration: It focuses on the protection and natural regeneration of secondary or degraded forests with actions aimed at the recovery of ecological integrity. Actions taken include:

• Fire protection through firebreaks.
• Monitoring of hot spots.
• Routine patrols.
• Enrichment of the forest with species of high commercial and ecological value in some cases.

The areas selected for this approach are those with some forest cover, degraded areas, damaged by wildfires and forests that have suffered selective logging of commercially valuable species. By conducting a forest inventory, we evaluate forest conditions and, based on data from surrounding areas, make decisions about enrichments. Sweetenia macrophylla is a fundamental species due to its potential for sustainable use by communities. Another important species is Brosimum alicastrum, whose fruit has a high commercial and nutritional value, providing benefits to communities in the short term, approximately between 5 and 6 years, and is an important species for biodiversity.

Active Restoration: It involves direct interventions to restore totally degraded areas, WHICH ARE occupied mainly by exotic grasses and/or without forest cover. Actions taken include:

• Implementation of agroforestry systems.
• Enrichment.
• Assisted natural regeneration.
• Planting commercially and ecologically valuable species.
• Management of planted species and natural regeneration.

Many of the species used are friendly to birds, since they help to colonize the territories again, offering a greater diversity of forest species. Restoration strategies in the MBR, implemented in conjunction with communities and the Government of Guatemala, not only seek the ecological recovery of degraded ecosystems, but also create sustainable economic opportunities for local communities. This strengthens its commitment to environmental conservation. By involving and benefiting families, greater love and care for natural resources is encouraged, ensuring that they themselves carry out the activities necessary for restoration.

Biodiversity monitoring in La Colorada, Guatemala. Video by WCS Guatemala

In the media

 

The struggle of the largest forest in Central America to survive illegal cattle ranching

https://www.rfi.fr/es/m%C3%A1s-noticias/20231024-la-lucha-de-la-mayor-selva-de-centroam%C3%A9rica-por-sobrevivir-a-la-ganader%C3%ADa-ilegal

The SOS cry of the forests of Mesoamerica, the forgotten neighbors of the Amazon

https://elpais.com/america-futura/2023-10-25/el-grito-de-sos-de-los-bosques-de-mesoamerica-los-olvidados-vecinos-de-la-amazonia.html

The Maya Biosphere, Guatemala: A globally significant landscape

https://trilliontrees.org/2023/11/08/forests2follow-the-maya-biosphere-guatemala-a-globally-significant-landscape/