Evolution of Community-Based Enterprise Governance Over Time: Lessons Learned from the Maya Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

This paper focuses upon the organizational governance of community forest enterprises (CFEs) in the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) of Northern Guatemala. The MBR s community-forest concession system has become an international model for community-based forest management and community forest enterprise (CFE) development due to the socio-economic and ecological benefits that it has achieved. Many CFEs managing forest concessions within the reserve have been able to curb deforestation rates and improve local forest quality while enjoying jobs and income gained from selling timber and non-timber forest products. Income generated by CFEs supports sustainable livelihoods and incentivizes forest protection. However, while the forest-management practices in the reserve have been well documented, less is known about the internal governance of these CFEs and how these systems have developed over time. This paper focuses upon research conducted on the evolution of CFE organizational governance. Research involved interviews, document review, and observation. CFEs face unique challenges during different phases of their development. This paper outlines the challenges described by key informants in the MBR as well as how they were able to overcome these challenges. It then provides suggestions for future research and application.