11.10.2024
Businesses interested in sustainable tropical timber sourcing will have the opportunity to explore timber species and meet key suppliers in Selva Maya, the second-largest tropical rainforest in the Americas. The event will take place from November 17th – 23rd, 2024. The trade mission, organized by the Rainforest Alliance, FSC, and Probos, aims to develop new market opportunities that promote forest conservation and strengthen the economic resilience of forest communities in Mexico and Guatemala.
Attendees will meet key actors across the tropical timber value chain, from established community forest enterprises to emerging suppliers, along with private sector stakeholders and government bodies. This is a unique opportunity to connect directly with potential suppliers of tropical timber from community-managed forests and learn more about the region's tropical timber species. These range from well-known commercial timber species such as mahogany and cedar to lesser-known timber species that are new to the market and have excellent technical specifications. Such species include chicozapote, tzalam, pucté, and manchiche.
Participants will also learn how responsible and ethical sourcing positively impacts the Selva Maya and the livelihoods of its guardians, and is critical to its conservation. All the forest communities that will be visited during the trade mission are FSC-certified or in the process of becoming FSC-certified.
The expected results of the trade mission will benefit all. It provides great opportunities for the (FSC-certified) forest communities to explore and engage in business relations with interested tropical timber traders from Europe, which supports the creation of sustainable livelihoods. In addition, the business relations that might be established during this event will directly contribute to increasing and mainstreaming the trade and use of timber from, and thereby incentivize, sustainable forest management.
For more information about the trade mission and how to participate, visit www.probos.nl.
Please contact Carlos Estrada from Rainforest Alliance (cestrada@ra.org) or Mark van Benthem from Probos (mark.vanbenthem@probos.nl) for more information.
