Using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification standards to create economic incentives has helped reduce deforestation rates and forest fires at the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, according to the Rainforest Alliance.
The environmental action group said that just 0.1% of FSC-certified concessions in the reserve were affected by fire in 2007, while deforestation rates had fallen considerably compared to protected areas where harvesting is prohibited.
This was due to systems and measures put in place as part of achieving FSC approval, which influences nearly a quarter of the reserve’s total area.
Rainforest Alliance added that the adoption of FSC standards had allowed natives to see the economic benefits of managing their natural resources properly and take advatange of the current climate for responsibly sourced timber. More than US$5m was generated by the sale of FSC products from the area, with 2,500 jobs supported by the system.
“These findings confirm that communities will indeed manage their land responsibly rather than destroy it if it makes economic sense to do so,” said Rainforest Alliance president Tensie Whelan.
“In this case, that incentive is a market for responsibly harvested timber and non-timber forest products.”
The Maya Biosphere Reserve was created by the Guatemalan government on five million acres of land in the Petén region of the country in order to protect biodiversity.
