Guatemala – land of many trees
January 31, 2017
Project goal: Helping people to help themselves by using kitchen gardens and sustainable forestry to save Guatemala's last rainforests
Project leader: OroVerde - The Tropical Forest Foundation is implementing the project
Project size: 3000 families are being supported in total through two projects
Funding: 4 million euro provided by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) for one project. 1 million euro provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development for the second project
Biodiversity: The Sierra de las Minas biosphere reserve and Bocas del Polochic protected area are teeming with wildlife. Some 800 species of animal live here, including jaguars, Guatemala's national bird, the quetzal, and manatees.
Guatemala is no longer the "land of many trees." Just a third of the country's area is still covered in rainforest, as woodland is cleared to make way for palm oil plantations and cornfields. The forest isn't the only victim: poor local communities are suffering too. They rarely benefit from the plantations and fields. OroVerde's "WaldGewinn" project wants to change that by establishing gardens and sustainable commercial forestry so locals can protect the forest and earn an income. This way people and the rare animals living in the forest can profit.
A film by Katja Losch