by Gabriela Ponce
On July 6th of this year, a historic event took place for the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), with the signing of the "Contract for the fulfillment of commitments derived from the cancellation of the Concession in the San Miguel Management Unit, and community collaboration for the restoration, ecological recovery and sustainable management of the San Miguel Management Unit". This signing marked an important milestone for the community of San Miguel La Palotada, located in the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. After years of effort and with the constant support of WCS, as well as the collaboration of the "Together for San Miguel" initiative, the community was able to recover its legal status through this agreement with the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP).
Photo: Signing of the contract session ©WCS Guatemala
The community of San Miguel La Palotada, formed by the hamlets of San Miguel La Palotada, La Milpa and Yarché, was the first community forest concession in the MBR. In 2009, the Honorable Council of CONAP decided to cancel the concession contract and remove the settlers from the Management Unit due to illegal encroachment of forest areas. Although the eviction order was rescinded by CONAP in 2020, the community lost legal access to land use and natural resources with a negative impact on human well-being. Without a formal agreement with the State to inhabit the territory, manage natural resources and make use of the land, their situation was uncertain.
The "Together for San Miguel" initiative began with investments in health and livelihoods such as beekeeping, chicken raising, and restoration and agroforestry projects, in mutual agreement with CONAP and the community. This process led to tangible results such as a reduction in wildlife trafficking events, a reduction in deforestation and fire rates, and the restoration of more than 100 hectares of pasture in degraded areas. These favorable results increased CONAP's interest in having an alternative for the community.
Photo: Invasive grass known as "chispa" in plots under restoration. ©CNA
The recently signed contract provides a 5-year renewable legal platform for access to the land and use of natural resources in the area, increasing the possibilities of sustainable development for the community with clear obligations and rights. In this way, San Miguel La Palotada is once again an ally of CONAP and this contract establishes a new natural resource governance model, which is applicable to other areas of the Reserve that have similar situations with potential areas for restoration and degraded forests.
The participation of organizations from the "Together for San Miguel" initiative was key to this result. Donors such as the Overbrook Foundation, the Tropical Forest Conservation Fund (FCA), the Laguntza Foundation, the European Union with the DeSIRA project, the United States Agency for International Development in Alliance with the Department of the Interior (USAID-DOI), the project "Transboundary Coordination to Reduce Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in Guatemala's Green Corridor" and the "Transboundary Coordination to Reduce Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in Guatemala's Green Corridor", the project "Transboundary Coordination to Reduce Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in the Guatemala-Mexico Green Corridor" (DEFRA-IWT) and contributions from partners such as the Association of Forest Communities of the Petén (ACOFOP), PROPETÉN Foundation, Nature for Life Foundation (NPV), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala (MAGA), Municipality of San Andrés and Rainforest Alliance (RA) complemented the success.