Nidia Mildred CRASBORN OJEDA

Nidia is a member of Cooperativa Carmelita, one of the two community concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve with a live-in community. Her ancestors migrated to the Petén forest to tap gum.  Some seasonal tappers settled in the middle of the jungle almost 100 years ago. 25 years ago, Carmelita became one of the community concessions that manage the multiple-use zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve.  Nidia is part of the local government of the concession, ensuring that timber and non-timber forest products are extracted sustainably and that the community transitions to sustainable economies such as tourism.