Community: The Secret to Stopping Deforestation in Guatemala
The forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate for 20 years.
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Mexico and Central America are world leaders in granting land rights to local and indigenous people—a crucial step in protecting forests. But even with significant gains in rights, forest communities are facing threats from agricultural expansion, illegal loggers, and drug traffickers.
Farmers in Mexico and Central America are already dealing with the effects of climate change: shorter growing seasons, unpredictable rainfall, and a surge in plant diseases and pests. Crops like coffee and bananas could become rare delicacies in the future without bold climate action—but the livelihoods and well-being of farming communities are in jeopardy now.
Our impacts in Mexico and Central America are nothing short of stunning: In areas managed by our partner communities in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, for example, logging has remained at almost zero since 2001—remarkable given that adjacent areas suffer some of the worst deforestation rates in the Americas.
equivalent annual emissions of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere
We provided technical assistance to a group of coffee farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico, who launched an agroforestry project to remove 130,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions (the annual emissions of 27,000 cars) from the atmosphere over 30 years through reforestation of degraded land.
have studied our environmental curriculum in Mexico and Guatemala
We not only provide training and curricula to teachers in southern Mexico and Guatemala, but we also help build local networks so educators can sustain this vital environmental education work in their communities for years to come.
In a region hard hit by climate change, the Rainforest Alliance focuses on advancing community forestry, sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and environmental education to defend vulnerable landscapes and support rural communities.
The forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate for 20 years.
We are working to grow Mexico’s domestic market for sustainably produced products.
This farm doesn't just grow bananas–it's producing biodiversity, fresh air, and stronger soils.
Sustainably harvested wood is at the heart of this new business run by indigenous Maya women.
A story in The Guardian exploring the challenges facing cocoa-growing communities in Chiapas, Mexico highlights how the Rainforest Alliance’s teams are working with local cocoa farmers to provide support in building resilience against climate change.
With support from OXO and 1% for the Planet, we are supporting local and Indigenous coffee-farming communities in Chiapas, Mexico, to adopt regenerative agriculture. ... Continue Reading
Rich biodiversity? Check. Well-treated workers? Check. Prepared for climate events? Check. Costa Rica's banana industry has a long history of worker abuse and environmental destruction—but these certified farms are proving there's a better way.... Continue Reading
The new ‘Policy on WOs’ has been developed to align the Freedom of Association (FoA) requirements (5.2.1; 5.2.2; and 5.2.3) of the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard to the context of banana and pineapple farming operations in Costa Rica. It aims to recognize, in equal conditions, benefits to all Workers’ Organizations (WO), and access […]
The Rainforest Alliance’s Mexico team speaks about how smallholder avocado farmers deliver Mexico’s green gold with data, transparency and collaboration through the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People (1000L) initiative and LandScale.