The Nature Conservancy - The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve

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The Maya Forest

The Maya Forest is the second largest rainforest after the Amazon and harbors sites of ecological and archaeological significance in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

Tropical Forests

Tropical forests in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean are imperiled. The Conservancy is working on a combination of traditional and innovative methods to help save these tropical foress for future generations.

Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, the largest tropical forest reserve in Mexico, is a treasure trove of Mayan history in the heart of the Maya Forest. The ruins in the middle of Calakmul reserve’s 1.8 million acres of forests extend over 10 square miles - the remains of a city that was the powerbase of Tikal’s rival dating back to AD 364.

Calakmul in Maya means “the city of two adjacent pyramids.” And the spectacular view of the surrounding jungle from the top of one of these massive pyramids extends into Guatemala and includes several archaeologically important ruins from the Mayan era.

The Maya Forest, covers almost 15 percent of Campeche state in Mexico, and extends into Guatemala and Belize. The Calakmul reserve, slightly larger than Delaware, harbors:

• jaguars,
• crocodiles,
• Baird's tapir, and
• more than 230 bird species.

Ejidos: Working with communities

Ejidos are communities living on communal lands in Mexico. More than 20,000 people live in ejidos in and around Calakmul and depend on the forest for their livelihoods. Over the course of time, the quality of life for these communities has weakened due to threats to the forest such as unsustainable ranching, road construction, illegal hunting and poorly planned tourism development.

The Nature Conservancy is working closely with two ejidos in Calakmul: 20 de Noviembre and Conhuas. Conservancy staff is helping teach sustainable forestry and create tourism-based livelihoods such as guiding trips to archaeological ruins, bird watching and craft-based activities.

A few years ago in close collaboration with local partners Tropical Rural Latinoamericana (TRL) and Sociedad de Servicios Técnicos Selvas de Calakmul (Sosetec), the Conservancy started working with ejido 20 de Noviembre, as a pilot community for a sustainable forestry program in the Calakmul region.

The ejido consists of 350 families and comprises about 87,000 acres of forestland. The Conservancy helped the ejido get established as a legal entity and help it access loans. In 2007 - 2008, we helped build a bridge that will allow year-round access to the forest, which will ideally make the ejido’s forestry operation more competitive and profitable by permitting the timely sale of soft woods.

Calakmul-Sian Ka'an corridor

The Conservancy began work this year in a new site - the Calakmul Sian Kaán corridor. This is a vast forested area linking two biosphere reserves. It is important for far ranging animals such as jaguars and migratory birds.

Here as in the community owned lands in Calakmul, the Conservancy recognizes that effective conservation can only be achieved if the needs and aspirations of local people are met. In this site, we are working with a new partner organization - the Organization of Forestry Ejidos of the Maya Zone (OEPF). Our shared goal is to conserve the forest while improving the income realized from forest activities.

Tapping chicle and timber extraction have provided the economic rationale for conserving the community-owned forests. Although chicleros continue to tap the native zapote trees, they are fewer tappers than in the past. In 2008 we funded a workshop bringing together chicle tappers from the communities to compile information on best practices, on how to improve production and on their perspective for the future of the activity.

In 2007 Hurricane Dean hit the region very hard. Some of the communities said that they withstood the hurricanes better than in previous years due to the forest buffer. The Conservancy began working with ejidos hit by the hurricane to find uses and ways to market their fallen timber and start forest restoration efforts.

Protecting forests

The Conservancy is working with Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatán to halt deforestation on private lands in and around Calakmul. They are:

• developing sustainable ecotourism activities,
• implementing a forest fire management plan for the reserve,
• establishing conservation easements, and
• acquiring critically threatened private lands.

In 2002, the Conservancy initiated the purchase and long-term protection of 600,000 acres of communally owned, uninhabited lands in and around the reserve. In November 2004, 370,000 acres of threatened tropical forest in Calakmul were permanently protected under a historic land deal between the Mexican federal government, the Campeche state government, Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatán, four local communities and the Conservancy.

The transfer occurred after a complex two-year process that continues with efforts to negotiate and fundraise for the transfer of an additional 230,000 acres in BalamKu, a neighboring state reserve.

Planning for Conservation

In 2006, the Conservancy completed a management plan to protect the Maya Forest across Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. The plan guides long-term protection of the reserve, including working with communities and managing fire.

Managing Fire

To reduce the threats from uncontrollable fires, the Conservancy has developed a fire management plan for the reserve. The plan outlines key activities in fire prevention, fire control, community outreach and education that will equip reserve staff and local communities to protect their forest resources.

In our first year and half we have set up a new control and communication center in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve offices, operated in coordination with municipal, federal and NGO participation. A Conservancy fire expert has overseen the development of a multi-year training program to build a local fire management team with expertise in wild fire control and ecological fire management.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Partially restored Maya temple ruins rise above the Maya forest canopy in Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve © Mark Godfrey/TNC; An Ejido gum tapper, taps sap from a gum tree in Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve Photo © Mark Godfrey/TNC.