Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén (ACOFOP, Association of Forest Communities of Petén)
Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén (ACOFOP, Association of Forest Communities of Petén) brings together communities in the buffer zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve to manage forest concessions that collectively represent the world's largest certified forest area under community management.
The initiative has ensured community access to the forest by securing legal forest concessions for sustainable timber and non-timber forest product extraction at the local level. Through its pioneering use of certification schemes and extensive biological monitoring, this umbrella organization has helped to conserve the forest's biodiversity and improve livelihood options for more than 14,000 of the forest's community members. The association is currently made up of 23 community-based organisations, each of which is represented within an equitable and democratic governance structure.
Key Facts
Equator Prize Winner: 2002
Founded: 1995
Location: Petén Department, Northern Guatemala
Beneficiaries: 2,000 families, 30 communities
Biodiversity: 1,400 plant species, 450 animal species
Case Study
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Related Multimedia Resources
Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén (ACOFOP) - Guatemala
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Equator Prize 2002
Ecoagriculture and Food Security
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecoagriculture and Food Security
Sustainable Forestry
Contact Information
Marcedonio Cortave
Executive Director
Peten, Guatemala
Tel: (502) 7926 3572
Email: info@acofop.org; direccion@acofop.org
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