Biodiversity for community empowerment and economic development

Blooming Tajonal (Viguiera dentata) provides an important source of nectar for bees during the dry season, sustaining honey production in Tankuché, Campeche. Photo: Adi Lazos.

Integrating biodiversity considerations into everyday decisions across the forestry sector offers the opportunity to cultivate healthy, productive ecosystems that support both communities and industry over the long term.

This was the central message of a recent webinar, “The Business of Biodiversity,” which highlighted ITTO’s extensive experience in conserving the rich biodiversity of the world’s tropical forests and in creating economic opportunities for forest-dependent people.

The webinar, co-organized by ITTO with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), was held to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). 

During the event, ITTO Projects Manager Ramon Carrillo described how an ITTO project in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has demonstrated how the conservation and sustainable use of local flora and fauna can elevate livelihoods and strengthen the sustainable management of forests.

The intervention came amidst a wider conversation around mainstreaming sustainable practices in the forestry sector, with experts from around the world joining the webinar to share how biodiversity considerations are being integrated into forest management, business practices, and policy frameworks.

Strengthening Mayan communities and their forests

Spanning more than 181,000 km²  between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, the Yucatán Peninsula is home to extraordinary biological and cultural diversity. However, this rich landscape has come under increasing pressure from land-use change and ecosystem degradation. 

For centuries, local communities and Indigenous Peoples in the region have accumulated knowledge for the sustainable management and use of local tropical forest biodiversity, which has supported their livelihoods and cultural vitality.

Building on this foundation, ITTO worked with Mayan communities in the states of Quintana Roo and Yucatán to leverage traditional knowledge of local communities and highlight the importance of the region’s biodiversity for economic, social, and environmental wellbeing.

The project supported community enterprises to expand forest-based businesses in ecotourism and honey derived products, helping them transform local biodiversity and traditional knowledge into sustainable economic opportunities. Participating businesses received tailored support in business planning, marketing and capacity development, enabling them to strengthen operations and expand their reach.

As a result, the enterprises diversified their services and improved market access, which in turn, are expected to generate higher incomes for local communities. The project demonstrated that conserving biodiversity is not only an environmental imperative but can also provide a foundation for resilient livelihoods and inclusive economic growth.

Presenting the initiative during the webinar, Mr Carrillo described it as a practical example of biodiversity mainstreaming in action. He emphasized that biodiversity can be a competitive advantage when combined with sustainable forest management, creating opportunities for livelihood improvement, climate action and social inclusion while safeguarding valuable local knowledge and resources.

“Rural communities have been generating jobs in their own communities for years, producing goods and services by caring for the tropical forests of the Yucatán Peninsula using traditional knowledge,” said Mr Carrillo of how communities in the region have already been advancing biodiversity mainstreaming.

Mainstreaming biodiversity in forestry through global collaboration

Experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and FSC joined Mr Carrillo to explore the opportunities offered by mainstreaming biodiversity across the forestry sector. Discussions focused on the consensus-building role of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and explored how biodiversity requirements embedded in certification systems can help drive the sustainable use and management of forest resources.

A roundtable discussion featured experiences from Brazil, Kenya and Scandinavia, showcased how governments, communities and industries are working to balance biodiversity conservation with economic development objectives. Speakers emphasized that effective policies, strong stakeholder engagement and long-term commitments are essential for achieving meaningful change.

Throughout the event, participants repeatedly highlighted the importance of community trust and industry buy-in. When supported by sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation can strengthen legal and sustainable supply chains, enhance regional resilience and preserve the knowledge and practices that underpin healthy forest landscapes.

Partnerships for tropical forest biodiversity

The Yucatán project reflects ITTO’s broader approach to biodiversity conservation, which combines community-based action with international collaboration.

Among these efforts, ITTO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are currently revising their joint Guidelines for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Tropical Timber Production Landscapes, originally published in 1993 and updated in 2009.  The revised guidelines are expected to be released later in 2026.

ITTO has also recently renewed its longstanding collaboration with the Secretariat of the CBD, reinforcing cooperation to support implementation of the KMGBF and other global commitments through initiatives such as the Joint ITTO–CBD Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity.

Missed the webinar? Watch the full recording here: