Evolving with Climate Change

For over 8,000 years, the Maya forest gardeners have been sustaining and cultivating the Maya Forest with their scientific practices. Preserving their knowledge about conservation and prosperity will help us develop solutions for our global environmental crisis.

Maya forest gardener planting a small tree in a cleared field

What are Maya Forest Gardeners?

Mayas that inhabit and manage the Maya forest resources while promoting

Monkey looking straight ahead on top of a high and giant tree branch

Forest regeneration

Tucanette popping its head out of a hole in a tree

Biodiversity

A diverse harvest including pumpkins, potatos, bananas, and scallions

Prosperity in the community

Shaping the Maya Forest as a Garden

We often think of rainforests as untouched, but the Maya forest can be understood as the garden of the ancient Maya.
They have been creating sustainable forest gardens to provide for their needs for food, medicine, etc. while enriching the forest
.

4,000+

years of cultivating the landscape

90%

of the plants are useful to humans

2nd

most biodiverse forest

Forest Gardens as a Climate Solution

maya glyph of sun beaming down

Lowers Temperature

Reduces Erosion

maya glyph of tree

Builds Soil Fertility

maya glyph of

Conserves Water

Maintains Biodiversity

To Care for Our People & Planet

Solutions to Challenges in the Maya Forest

Aerial view of land that has been deforested after land use
Belize from 2014 vs 1994

Manage Land Cover

A focus on short-term profits can damage the environment. Long-term strategies like the milpa cycle support land regeneration.

Food scarcity vs bounty

Establish Food Sovereignty

Imports can be unreliable as seen with COVID-19. Local products grown from home gardens provide communal food sovereignty.

Flooded bridge 2008 vs before

Tackle Climate Change

At the current rate, we risk continually confronting environmental crises. Incorporating Indigenous practices will build toward sustainable success.

maya glyph of

Your Support Grows the Earth

Stand up for the conservation of the Maya forest gardening tradition. Your support will help this valuable knowledge survive for centuries to come, while helping us cultivate solutions for our global environmental crisis.

Maya Forest Gardeners is a project of Exploring Solutions Past, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and all donations are fully tax-deductible.