Analyzing community forest enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve using a modified capitals framework

Abstract

• This manuscript presents a modified capitals framework for analyzing community forest enterprises. • Community forest enterprises operating in the Maya Biosphere Reserve face unique challenges related to their capitals. • All enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve have leveraged their resources to improve their capitals over time. This paper introduces a modified community capitals framework for understanding the context in which community forest enterprises (CFEs) operate. The framework is applied to enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Northern Guatemala through a comparative cross-case analysis. Data for the cross-case analysis were collected and triangulated via a variety of qualitative methods including document review supplemented by direct observation, and key informant interviews. The analysis details several differences in capitals between different enterprises in the reserve and details how enterprises have leveraged their resources to improve their capitals over time. This framework is of particular interest to sustainable development scholars and practitioners as it provides a means of analyzing local community-contexts focusing upon the resources that a community has at its disposal and how those resources can be used to develop their capital over time. These insights can be particularly helpful to development practitioners working to design interventions adapted to the unique challenges and opportunities faced by CFEs.