Program Component Agroforestry: Advancements October 2006
Conservation of Neotropical Migratory Birds in the Sierra de Chamá. Phase II.

Program Component Agroforestry

The objectives of this component are:
• to establish a zone of reduced burning around the forest (Sacranix),
• conserve soils in order to stabilize agricultural plots (Sacranix),
• generate income by planting cash crops (Sacranix)

Planned activities: Conservation objectives have been met and partially surpassed in the 2003/2004 grant period (phase I). A belt of 204 ha consisting of 526 farm plots in 25 communities (with 20,472 fruit trees planted) has been established. This belt (although not complete) poses a considerable obstacle to forest fires. It also means soil conservation as well as a future income of an estimated $260,000 per year for the region or over $500 per year per family (the equivalent of three months of labor on a coffee farm). This represents a potential of stability for farmers as well as for the primary forest. Many planted fruit trees will mature in 2004/2005. Farmers will start harvesting plums, peaches, pears, avocados and other crops in 2004/2005 and they should learn how to influence harvest time, how to harvest and select fruit and how to pack and sell fresh fruit. Due to huge variation in income of agricultural crops it is also recommendable to further diversify. PROEVAL-RAXMU plans the following activities:

Proposed conservation objectives:

1. Establish at least 200 plantations with 150 participants in at least five new communities neighboring the Sacranix area Quixal, Sarroquacax, Serritquiché, Saguaxil and San Isidro I). Plantations will have a total area of 8 ha of cash crops and of 40 ha of soil conservation and farming without burning (100 plantations in the first year, 100 in the second).
   
2. Establish plantations of new crops: Grapes, strawberry, blueberry, vanilla, walnut, hazelnut, clove, allspice, rambutan, lemon "persa", liquidambar and some tropical hardwoods. Establish at least 600 plantations with 400 participants in at least twenty communities neighboring the Sacranix area. Plantations will have a total area of 30 ha of cash crops and of 150 ha of soil conservation and farming without burning (300 plantations in the first year, 300 in the second).
   
3. Train 30 participants in the Yalijux area and 400 participants in the Sacranix area in how to influence harvest time, how to harvest and select fruit, how to pack and sell fresh fruit. As a consequence, 400 plots of mature well cut-back fruit tree plantations have to be achieved. Introduce farm planning.
   
4. Incorporate environmental education themes developed in 2003/2004 in training of 430 participants. Discourage hunting of migratory birds.
   
5. In harvest season, 100 participants will be brought to private demonstration plantations to see the effect of new measures on harvest and to motivate them to imitate techniques. (First and second year).

Progress:

1. As was the case at the start of this conservation project in 2003, progress in the new communities in first year was slower than expected. 45 plantations with 45 participants of 3 new communities (Temal, San Isidro and Xalcatá) were established. A considerable total of 4 ha of cash crops and hardwood trees were planted with only 7ha of soil conservation without burning. Achievement: 70% of grant objectives.
   
2. A total of 364 plantations with an equal number of participants in 9 communities were established. A total of 20 crop species were introduced, among these strawberry, blueberry, vanilla, walnut, hazelnut, clove, allspice, lemon "persa", liquidambar as well as mahogany and other tropical hardwoods. 12 ha of cash crops and 59 ha of soil conservation were achieved. Achievement: 90% of first year objectives. (See a list of communities, participants and trainings and one of planted crops)
   
3. 26 participants in the Yalijux area and 398 participants in the Sacranix area were trained on how to plant, graft, cut back and influence harvest time. Since 2006 had unusual low harvests, training on how to harvest and select fruit, how to pack and sell fresh fruit was not realized. Achievement: 150% of first year objectives.
   
4. Environmental education modules were used to entertain and relax participants in meetings. Achievement: 100% of first year objectives.
   
5. 2006 was an unusual rainy year, harvests were very low and under these conditions we only did two excursions with 33 participants in order to demonstrate vanilla cultivation. Achievement: 66% of first year objectives.

A total of 520 participants of 22 communities received assistance in grafting and cutting back 47,186 trees which have been planted during the previous and this grant. These trees represent a total area of 65 ha with 272 ha of soil conservation and a future benefit of about $370,000 annually for participants. Since the chosen communities are situated like a belt around primary forest areas, this stabilized area with reduced burning already represents a formidable protection for primary forests.

Program component: Land ownership

Objectives:
• Help establish land ownership in order to make owners conscious and responsible of forest properties (Sacranix)
• Identify primary forest areas whose owners are willing to sell for conservation

In 2003/2004 technical studies were conducted in order to establish exact forest cover, land use, detailed land ownership maps and biodiversity. Good results in the agroforestry component helped gain the confidence of settlers, which had been the basic obstacle in completing these studies. As the area is laid back, a surprising 70% of lands are involved in ownership transition. This results in a low eligibility for forest easements: only 4 have been awarded during the previous grant period. Insecure land ownership means that forest easements can not be given, forest can not be managed, and settlers hesitate to establish fruit tree plantations due to the risk of loosing them to the future land owner. Insights into land ownership process and the need to establish orderly land ownership have brought PROEVAL-RAXMU to the decision to catalyze the ownership process. Activities will be conducted by a field officer and a local community leader who has successfully acquired land rights for his community.

Conservation objectives:

1. Define priority properties according to primary forest cover and possibility to catalyze ownership process (first year).
   
2. Accompany at least 5 properties: detect obstacles to land ownership, supervise land survey, dismember parts of poor infrastructure and valuable forest cover in order to buy them for conservation, contact government institutions for loans, and establish management plans in order to pay back loans after land acquisition (first and second year).
   
3. Combine meetings with environmental education.
   
4. Offer three primary forest properties for sale for conservation purposes (first and second year).

Progress:

1. A list of priority properties according to primary forest cover and possibility to catalyze ownership process was established. Achievement: 100% of first year objectives.
   
2. The communities of San Juan Sacalá and Xalabé were accompanied. San Juan Sacalá: The special case of this community is that it dwells on an 2 km² area which has no previous owner (undeclared land). In twenty years of efforts the community has not gotten anywhere. Proeval-Raxmu took community members to Guatemala City in order to become familiar with the central land register institute (Registro Central de Inmuebles) and the Fondo Tierra, an institution which helps farmers to acquire lands. Relations to a NGO which had previously helped were aborted and relations with Fondo Tierra initiated. Xalabé: This community had already paid their land with a branch of the Catholic Church but all receipts had been lost. Also, the community still owed the costs of land survey. In various meetings several obstacles to acquisition of their land were removed. Presently the community finished raising the tax to buy 2.5 km² of land. The title is ready for acquisition these days. Achievement: 80% of first year objectives.
   
3. Environmental education modules were used to entertain and relax participants in meetings. Achievement: 100% of first year objectives.
   
4. Offer three primary forest properties for sale for conservation purposes: PROEVAL RAXMU has contacted various communities and private landowners in order to obtain the right of preemption. Due to uncertain land titles and attractive government incentives for reforestation and conservation this has been slow. Achievement: 10% of grant objectives.

Program component: Forest Management

Objective:
• Provide incentives in order to motivate forest owners to protect their properties against fire or invaders (Sacranix, Ik’bolay and Yalijux)

Forest easements for conservation of primary forest areas were elevated from only $8.8 per ha, distributed over five years, to up to $2000 per ha, distributed over five years. This sum appears has been very attractive for forest owners and we have witnessed a rush of landowners to inscribe their forests. All the same, in the future these incentives may not continue and we continue to opt for other ways of giving a value to primary forest.

Conservation objectives:

1. Help 5 primary forest owners of the Chamá corridor to apply for government funds to protect their primary forests (first and second year).
   
2. Conduct an inventory of tropical hardwoods in areas of established ownership and feasible infrastructure (first year).
   
3. Establish at least one pilot management license. Establish at least 5 ha of reforestation of tropical hardwood and extract timber. Combine activities with environmental education.
   
4. Establish indicator bird species in order to monitor ecological impact of forest management.

Progress:

1. Eleven primary forest owners of the Chamá corridor were helped to apply for government funds to protect their primary forests. A total of about 5 km² will be protected during 8 years. Good results in this objective were achieved due to the fact that the government raised conservation incentives by 300%. Achievement: 220% of grant objectives.
   
2. We conducted an inventory of tropical hardwoods which showed occurrences of Santa Maria (Callophylum brasiliense), Tem (Hieronyma guatemalensis), Granadillo (Dalbergia glomerata), Hormigo (Platymiscium dimorphandrum) and Nogal (Juglans guatemalensis). We also conducted a study of the national hardwood market and investigated qualities of different hardwoods with carpenters. (Schanz, F. 2006. Die aktuelle Situation des guatemaltekischen Holzmarktes mit besonderer Beruecksichtigung des Potentials von Juglans guatemalensis. Thesis, University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg, Germany.) Achievement: 200% of grant objectives.
   
3. PROEVAL RAXMU currently manages reforestations in the community Temal and the farm Chiquej. A total of 75 ha of tropical hardwoods is being reforested (see species list). Also, a calendar of seed availability was established and a network of local farmers recollecting seeds was organized. Achievement: 1500% of grant objectives. Some accessible occurrences of Nogal (Juglans guatemalensis) were surveyed for timber extraction in order to make veneers. Achievement: 10% of grant objectives.
   
4. Establish indicator bird species: This will be done in our second year. Achievement: 0% of grant objectives.

The component “Forest Management” did especially well due to good cooperation with the National Forest Institute of Guatemala (INAB). We plan to further emphasize reforestation and conservation by Government incentives.