a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
a capacity-building partnership
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Project Objective
Unique capacity-building partnership
between The Nature Conservancy,
Rainforest Alliance and the
World Environment Center to support
conservation activities in the
Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala
and Mexico
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Why the Maya Forest?
• Second largest rainforest in the Americas
outside of the Amazon
• Helps preserve the incredible diversity of
this rainforest ecosystem
• Mitigate global warming by sequestering
carbon dioxide
• Enhances sustainable livelihoods
• Improves community healthcare by
providing job stability
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Project Benefits
• Improved conservation of critical habitats
and species
• Improved quality of life for indigenous
peoples
• Leadership and precedent in the creation of
new models for public-private conservation
and development partnerships
• An approach to solving problems of
globalization through private-sector initiatives
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Project Details
Three linked capacity-building tracks:
– Encourages formation of a tri-national
conservation coalition with a common
vision for the Maya Forest
– Promotes sustainable livelihoods
through training, certification and other
market incentives
– Strengthens protection of parks, private
reserves and other protected areas
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Track 1 - Conservation Coalition
• Includes representatives of federal, state &
municipal governments; community
leaders; NGOs; business; development
agencies and research institutions
• Coalition will coalesce around the
partnership’s ecoregional planning process
– Engages all stakeholders in a participatory
process
– “Portfolio of priority sites” protects native
biodiversity
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Track 1 - Conservation Coalition
• Partnership has already initiated
preliminary preparation for a
conservation blueprint
• Planning phase is expected to be
completed by Nov. 2004
– Assemble core ecoregional planning team to
facilitate process with stakeholders
– Identify portfolio of priority areas
– Define strategies to abate threats
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Track 2 - Sustainable Livelihoods
• Numerous threats to Maya Forest
– Deforestation - 200,000 acres per year
– Population growth - 5-10% per year
– Illegal logging
• Focus on implementation of best
management practices in forestry,
nontimber forest products,
agriculture and ecotourism
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Track 2 - Sustainable Livelihoods
• Partnering with local and indigenous
communities to sustainably harvest timber
and xate, agricultural products and train
ecotourism operations.
– Promote sustainable harvesting of wood and
develop market linkages for other species
– Ensure sustainability of the wild xate palm
– Link responsible buyers and producers
– Increase best management practices by
ecotourism operations
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Track 3 - Managing Protected Lands
• Partnership will improve
management of public parks and
privately owned preserves
• Build capacity for protection through
training, education and technical
assistance
• Leverage existing USAID support for
“Parks in Peril” program
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Project Funding
• $2.5 million budget over three years
• Corporate and public funding
• Corporate support levels
– Gold: $250,000
– Silver: $100,000
– Bronze: $50,000
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Gold Level Benefits
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Top visibility (corporate name and logo) in all materials
promoting the partnership, including standalone website
Prominent visibility at a regional, tri-national conference
VIP field trip to project site
One-page corporate profile in high-quality photo book on
Maya Forest
Availability of project expert to speak at one of the
sponsor’s employee programs
Subject of case studies at corporate forums held by three
partnership organizations
Top visibility in salute ad donated by WSJ or NYT
Recognition in annual reports of three organizations
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Silver Level Benefits
• Corporate name listed on all materials promoting
the partnership, including standalone website
• Recognition at a regional, tri-national conference
• Prominent visibility (corporate name and logo) in
high-quality photo book on Maya Forest
• Subject of case studies at forums held by three
partnership organizations
• Recognition in salute ad donated by WSJ or NYT
• Recognition in annual reports of three organizations
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Bronze Level Benefits
• Corporate name listed on all materials promoting
the partnership, including standalone website
• Recognition at a regional, tri-national conference
• Subject of case studies at forums held by three
partnership organizations
• Recognition in salute ad donated by WSJ or NYT
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Selected Metrics of Success
Track 1 - Conservation Coalition
• No. of organizations represented in the blueprint process
• No. of organizations adopting the blueprint
Track 2 - Sustainable Livelihoods
• No. of acres certified under “Smartwood” program
• No. of acres of xate under sustainable management
• Increase in no. of tourists to Maya Forest
• Increase in income to region
• Reduction in percent of illegally logged mahogany
• Increase in revenue from non-traditional forest species
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
Selected Metrics of Success
Track 3 - Managing Protected Lands
• No. of acres under increased protection and improved
management
• No. of participants completing protected lands
management training programs
building
capacity
for
conservation
a forest of hope
conserving the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico
building
capacity
for
conservation
Questions and next steps?