In Mexico's state of Quintana Roo, an organization of 16 communal groups, or ejidos, is managing 360,000 hectares of subtropical moist forest to benefit their members and, at the same time, maintain the forest. [76],[77] Of the total forest area, 150,000 hectares are set aside for permanent production, primarily of mahogany and cedar. After negotiating with logging companies, participants -- 3,000 as of 1991 -- began to process logs, which adds value to their product and brings communities more income than shipping out raw timber does. Before ejidos managed the forest, local communities derived no benefits from logging operations. Now, participants are working to maintain the natural forest by cutting trees on a 25-year cycle, allowing native species to regenerate, and increasing the proportion of mahogany and cedar through enrichment planting. After eight years, communities already are seeing good regeneration of natural forest -- along with an income, an incentive to keep up the good work. [78]

References and notes

76. Matthew Perl, Michael Kiernan, Dennis McCaffrey, Robert Buschbacher, and Garo Batmanian, Views From the Forest: Natural Forest Management Initiatives in Latin America, (Washington, D.C.: World Wildlife Fund, 1991), p. 5.

77. Nels Johnson and Bruce Cabarle, Surviving the Cut: Natural Forest Management in the Humid Tropics, (Washington D.C.: World Resources Institute, 1993) p. 28.

78. Matthew Perl, Michael Kiernan, Dennis McCaffrey, Robert Buschbacher, and Garo Batmanian, Views From the Forest: Natural Forest Management Initiatives in Latin America, (Washington, D.C.: World Wildlife Fund, 1991), pp. 5, 8.