{"id":60155798,"date":"2026-10-21T16:48:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T15:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?p=60155798"},"modified":"2026-10-21T16:48:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T15:48:52","slug":"without-usaid-guatemalas-maya-reserve-must-support-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/forests\/without-usaid-guatemalas-maya-reserve-must-support-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"Without USAID, Guatemala\u2019s Maya reserve must support itself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the heart of Guatemala\u2019s Maya biosphere reserve, day breaks over the village of Carmelita. Sunlight pokes through the swaying sapodilla trees as roosters begin to crow. Machetes in hand, residents head into the community forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite its humble visage, this little settlement in Pet\u00e9n, the northernmost department of Guatemala, has long been one of global conservation\u2019s success stories. For over two decades, people in Carmelita have sustainably harvested timber, honey and other forest products while managing nearly 55,000 hectares within the biosphere reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under a government agreement struck in 1994, large parts of Guatemala\u2019s forests are leased to local communities through \u201ccommunity concessions\u201d such as Carmelita. These custodians monetise forest products under a sustainable management plan created in conjunction with Guatemala\u2019s national conservation agency, the National Council of Protected Areas (Conap). The community concessions within the Maya biosphere reserve have collectively protected approximately 484,000<\/a> hectares of ecologically important forest, while adjacent lands have been rapidly deforested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a garden,\u201d says Jes\u00fas Barrera, Carmelita\u2019s legal representative. \u201cYou prune it, and it becomes more beautiful. That\u2019s how the forest is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the Maya biosphere reserve was established in 1990, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been a crucial constant. It has financed everything from forestry equipment and timber mills to technical assistance for mitigating wildfires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the conservation story has taken a troubling political turn. A month after assuming office for the second time, US President Donald Trump froze<\/a> nearly all international support from USAID in February 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUSAID has been an important ally of the forest model since the beginning,\u201d says Julio Javier Madrid, coordinator of the Pet\u00e9n Forest Communities Association (Acofop<\/a>). \u201cWe saw that the resources reached the places where they were needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a dozen community concessions within the reserve that have relied on international aid for decades. With USAID\u2019s retreat and peak fire season only months away, they face an increasingly uncertain future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impending threats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fire has long been a part of the land within the reserve. Traditional forms of slash-and-burn agriculture have been practiced here across generations of Mayan civilisations for thousands of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But increasingly erratic dry seasons, coupled with the rapid expansion of cattle ranching across Pet\u00e9n over the past century, have caused forests to burn at alarming rates. Some 27,000 hectares<\/a> of protected land burn in Guatemala every year on average. This number balloons during El Ni\u00f1o years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cows<\/div>
Cattle ranching encroachments in northern Pet\u00e9n, Guatemala\u2019s biggest department, is one of several factors enabling forest fires to spread further across these lands than before (Image: Eddie Gerald \/ Alamy)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFire has generated the most wear on us,\u201d says Estuardo Miguel Julian D\u00edaz, treasurer of one of the reserve\u2019s community concessions, the Cruce a la Colorada Integrated Forestry Association. \u201cIt\u2019s been difficult to control them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USAID helped build a network of government agencies, NGOs and community concessions dedicated to tracking and preventing fires. This includes<\/a> satellite monitoring, community fire patrols, centralised management of approved burns and hundreds of miles of fire breaks. Experts say this has led to fewer fires occurring in community-managed areas in comparison to the reserve\u2019s buffer zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe withdrawal of USAID was [at] a very critical moment,\u201d says Conap coordinator Sergio Balan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funding disappeared after the reserve\u2019s worst fire season in decades, when resources were already stretched exceptionally thin. Over 230,000 hectares<\/a> of protected land burned in Pet\u00e9n in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe state no longer had resources because that fire season was severe, and the available resources for fire prevention and firefighting had already been exhausted,\u201d Balan says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our situation now is that we have to do more with fewer resources<\/blockquote>Julio Javier Madrid, coordinator, Pet\u00e9n Forest Communities Association (Acofop)<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Illegal land invasions driven by cattle ranching have expanded in the reserve over the past year, particularly along what Conap calls the \u201cCarmelita route\u201d, a degraded landscape under active restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore, there were many fires, but they affected relatively small areas,\u201d Balan says. \u201cNow land invasions have increased, and the affected territories have become much larger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without the resources to counter these invasions, Balan says fires have expanded into previously unaffected areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cuts have forced changes to response mechanisms. Madrid says Acofop now has to wait for official confirmation of a fire before deploying resources to fight it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> strengthens ahead of January\u2019s fire season, the reserve could face its greatest challenge yet. \u201cOur situation now is that we have to do more with fewer resources,\u201d says Madrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mounting challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Acofop, many are unsure whether they still have jobs. \u201cAt that time, our salaries were being paid directly with USAID funds,\u201d Madrid explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation lost around USD 375,000 in annual funding, which immediately led to the cancellation of a USD 60,000 project involving a community honey collection centre. This would have provided the reserve\u2019s apiculturists with better access to international markets and increased revenue, according to Madrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainforest Alliance, an international NGO that supported community concessions in the reserve for decades with USAID\u2019s support, has been hit equally hard. Since 2023, Rainforest Alliance has funded<\/a> community projects through its Prosperous and Resilient Landscapes (PRL) project. USAID had allocated up to USD 6 million of funding to cover the project until 2028. Instead, funds expired in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
Recommended<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInternational cooperation had always been very timely on critical issues,\u201d says Jorge Cruz, who manages Rainforest Alliance\u2019s Pet\u00e9n office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sudden loss of USAID funding does not ring a death knell, but some projects still rely heavily on external aid for community development and landscape restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe newer concessions definitely require more attention,\u201d Cruz says. \u201cThey need to be strengthened; the concession model needs to be reinforced again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"USAID<\/div>
USAID was crucial in supporting restoration efforts in the biosphere reserve, such as this Cruce a la Colorada Integrated Forestry Association nursery in Pet\u00e9n (Image: Nicolas Scibelli)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Towards a self-sustained model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Carmelita, business is still booming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An on-site mill and carpentry centre enables the concession to sell furniture and refined wood for better prices; sales in national and international markets account for about 70% of the concession\u2019s annual income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concession also earns income from xate, the leaves of an ornamental palm prized by international florists for bouquets and wedding decorations, as well as chicle, the raw material in chewing gum. Carmelita is also expanding its apiculture business; it currently has 138 honey-producing hives. Tourism is a revenue booster, drawing thousands of visitors every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCarmelita has reached a stage where it\u2019s self-sustaining,\u201d Barrera says. \u201cWe have (had) ups and downs like fluctuations in timber prices but we continue operating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other concessions are still learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 30 minutes down the road from Carmelita, Cruce a la Colorada Integrated Forestry Association\u2019s (Aficc) concession has struggled with encroachment by illegal cattle ranchers and deforestation linked to land conflicts. Aficc lacks the rich mahogany reserves that help sustain Carmelita\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aficc has focused on restoration since 2021, with most of the work funded by Rainforest Alliance\u2019s PRL project. The funding ended last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"people<\/div>
Cruce a la Colorada Integrated Forestry Association\u2019s sawmill, 2017 (Image: PBH \/ Alamy)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNext year will be very difficult,\u201d says Samuel Quixchan, a Rainforest Alliance technician who works closely with Aficc. \u201cWe will only be able to continue maybe 20% of the work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aficc is working to follow Carmelita\u2019s model by developing alternative income streams, a process that will require sustained investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday the restoration work is fine, but [it] is going to come to an end,\u201d says Aficc treasurer Miguel Julian. \u201cWhat are the people going to do [after]?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new lifeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite its mixed and often controversial<\/a> results, can REDD+, the international carbon payments framework, offer a lifeline to the reserve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last December, the reserve\u2019s flagship carbon reduction project, GuateCarbon<\/a>, received its first REDD+ payment for 1.1 million tonnes of avoided carbon emissions through reduced deforestation. It represented a sigh of relief for communities looking to offset USAID funding cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
Recommended<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n

Years of red tape and legal questions over land ownership delayed the project. It took a decade after the project\u2019s verification in 2014 for GuateCarbon to sell its first tranche of REDD+ credits in 2025. The project has yet to sell any carbon credits through voluntary markets, which would enable individuals and organisations to offset their emissions. It is an area that the project\u2019s manager, Sergio Guzman, knows is leaving money on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a success story in terms of procedures, processes and learning,\u201d Guzman says. \u201cBut it\u2019s also a failed story because those voluntary standard tonnes are still sitting there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each concession received USD 3.6 million from the first REDD+ tranche, channelled towards strengthening their social, production and protection components. Acofop also received around USD 0.7 million for administering the project, while the government received USD 1.1 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Uaxactun, another concession in the reserve, its president Mavil Barrientos says GuateCarbon funds have been crucial for fire prevention, covering salaries and other expenses. Aficc used the funds to purchase an all-terrain vehicle to better monitor fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike USAID\u2019s contributions, however, new buyers must regularly be found for GuateCarbon\u2019s credits, itself a difficult task involving time and negotiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Maya biosphere reserve was created on the idea that the communities living within the forest were its best-equipped custodians. USAID\u2019s support and decades of investment helped build that. The question is no longer whether communities can protect one of the world\u2019s most important tropical forest ecosystems. It is whether they can do so without one of their biggest financial backers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as Guzman is concerned, \u201cwe need to create a way to maintain sustainability ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

USAID cuts threaten decades of forest conservation in Guatemala, forcing communities to find new ways to fund their work and protect the forest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50001044,"featured_media":60155842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_has_post_settings":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[50039902,764],"tags":[523,50040324,50029826],"hashtags":[],"country":[50003622],"class_list":["post-60155798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-forests","category-nature","tag-conservation","tag-rainforests","tag-timber","country-guatemala-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWithout USAID, Guatemala\u2019s Maya reserve must support itself | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"USAID cuts threaten decades of forest conservation in Guatemala, forcing communities to find new ways to fund their work and protect the forest\" 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