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Forest Management and Reforestation - Mayab, Mexico
Spanning 23,435 hectares in Ejido Caoba, Quintana Roo, this long-term project delivers high-quality carbon removals through sustainable forest management and native reforestation. Active for 100 years, it is led by a local ejido under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines. The initiative combines selective harvesting, replanting with native species, and community-led fire and forest protection efforts to enhance biodiversity, strengthen forest resilience, and deliver lasting social and environmental benefits.
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Project information
Community-led reforestation in Mayab
Developed by EarthLab and running from 2021 to 2121, this project generates high-quality carbon removals through Improved Forest Management and native reforestation. The project takes place on 23,435 hectares of land in Ejido Caoba, Quintana Roo, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, and is led by the local ejido, which collectively owns and manages the land.
Sustainable timber harvesting follows Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines, ensuring responsible forest management and long-term ecological integrity. Harvesting is carried out under a 25-year polycyclic management system, which maintains continuous forest cover and ecosystem function. Areas opened by selective logging are reforested with native species such as mahogany, chicozapote, and tzalam.
The project also addresses both natural and human threats to the forest. Illegal logging is deterred through a community-led surveillance committee, while fire prevention brigades conduct regular patrols and establish firebreaks to reduce wildfire risk. Together, these measures safeguard forest resources against degradation. Through its integrated approach - combining sustainable harvesting, active restoration, and community stewardship - the project conserves biodiversity, strengthens forest resilience, and promotes long-term community benefits.
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Intervention
Improved Forest Managament (IFM)
Location
Mexico
Standard
CAR
Sustainable Goals
Project performance
The Earthly rating
The Earthly rating is the industry-first holistic project assessment. Earthly researchers analyse 106 data points, aggregating information across the three vital pillars of carbon, biodiversity and people. Projects in Earthly's marketplace all exceed a minimum score of 5/10.
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Carbon
~177k
estimated annual carbon sequestration (tco2e)
Biodiversity
127
native tree species found within the project area
Social
319
Ejidatarios manage the project
Project impact
Local impact
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The image shows forest loss within and around the project area from 2010 to 2024. The project zone, outlined in white, marks where carbon sequestration activities occur. While some deforestation is visible inside the boundary, most forest loss has occurred outside the project area, both before and after the project began.
Dataset used: Hansen Global Forest Change (2010-2024) modified
Project area: through time
Deforestation in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is accelerating due to expanding tourism, illegal logging, and agricultural conversion, placing immense pressure on one of the world’s most biodiverse forest regions. The project is an Improved Forest Management initiative, not a forest avoidance project, and it does not receive credits for avoided deforestation. Instead, it generates carbon removal credits solely from measurable forest growth through sustainable harvesting and native species regeneration.
Nonetheless, by reinforcing community-based forest governance and introducing active management practices, the project is effectively safeguarding the forest from increasing external threats, including infrastructure development and accelerating land-use change in the region. Through fire mitigation, biodiversity monitoring, and reinvestment of carbon revenues into local services, the project strengthens ecological resilience and serves as a critical buffer against deforestation pressures, while maintaining a conservative crediting approach rooted in removals.
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Positive for people
The project is led by the local ejido, whose 323 registered members hold secure tenure rights to the land. Decision-making is participatory, with assemblies held every three months on the last Sunday of the month, announced 8-15 days in advance, and structured to ensure inclusive dialogue and active participation. A core priority is gender inclusion and empowerment. For example, the project plans to rehabilitate the women’s carpentry workshop “Maravillas finas y tropicales”, enabling 10 women to generate income from carpentry products.
Revenues from initial credit sales will also finance a truck to transport products and support other women-led initiatives, strengthening their economic resilience. The ejido retains a large proportion of revenues from the sale of the credits, guaranteeing direct benefits for landowners. In addition, 20% of income is earmarked for a Social Fund, which supports scholarships, healthcare for the elderly, school improvements, community workshops, and cultural activities. Employment generation is another direct impact, with both temporary and permanent jobs created under principles of equal pay and equal opportunity for women and men.
Education and capacity building are central to long-term benefits. In March 2022, a botany and species identification course combined classroom teaching with fieldwork, while additional trainings have focused on climate change, social safeguards, and ICT skills. Beyond these structured activities, the project indirectly supports livelihoods by conserving the forest, which provides essential ecosystem services such as timber, palm leaves (huano), Ramón seeds and leaves for livestock, chicle (gum), firewood, and water storage. Together, these actions advance social equity, empower women, create jobs, and increase household income.
Good for earth
The project area is located in a biodiverse region of Quintana Roo, home to at-risk flora and fauna. Protected species found in the project area under NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 include cedar (Cedrela odorata), bari (Calophyllum brasiliense), and palma chit (Thrinax radiata), which are safeguarded through sustainable harvesting practices. The forest also provides habitat for diverse fauna, including threatened species such as the jaguar, Morelet’s crocodile, and Geoffroy’s spider monkey, which listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
These species are protected through the conservation of the forest habitat. At the landscape level, the project contributes to the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, strengthening connectivity between major reserves such as Sian Ka’an and Calakmul Biosphere Reserves. This connectivity is essential for wide-ranging species and long-term ecosystem resilience.
Harvesting in the project site follows Forest Stewardship Council guidelines and applies a 25-year polycyclic management system that maintains continuous cover. Practices include tree density management to reduce competition, selective harvesting, and native species reforestation to restore gaps from harvesting. In 2021, 9,000 mahogany and 3,000 cedar were planted, followed by an additional 3,000 mahogany and 2,000 cedar in 2022. The project also reduces natural and anthropogenic risks through a community-led surveillance committee against illegal logging and fire brigades. Together, these measures protect fauna and flora biodiversity and strengthen forest resilience.
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