Xatera, community worker
Photo: Sergio Izquierdo
While initially against the idea of community concessions in her village of Carmelita in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Ana took a job as a cook for the locals who harvested timber in the area to support her family in 1998. From that position, Ana was promoted as a manager of the local timber shop which did not sit well with the men that harvest timber in her village. Eventually this role found Ana working to support a local forest conservation group called ACOFOP and later FORESCOM (Community Forest Services Company) in teaching local women how to harvest the Maya Biosphere Reserve’s non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Today, Ana works with FORESCOM and their efforts to cultivate NTFPs to support the livelihoods of her village and community members. What Ana initially thought would destroy her forest community has allowed her to see beyond what she could imagine, including the financial growth she has been able to achieve for herself and her family.
“I grew up in Carmelita co-living with nature, with the forest, and with the ecosystems. My whole life has been in Carmelita...thanks to ACOFOP for giving me the opportunity to share my knowledge with other women in other communities.”
Comments