Carmelita is legally constituted as a cooperative which implies specific mechanisms for benefit distribution and reinvestment of utilities. It was constituted as a cooperative in 1996 following the creation of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in 1990 within which the cooperative holds a forest concession of 53,797.9ha. all supported largely by local grassroots organizations and NGOs. Both the community and the cooperative are situated within the forest concession. The principal objective is to p romote the conservation of natural resources through sustainable forest management and community participation, in an economically viable fashion and respecting biodiversity of diverse forest resources. Main production includes:
-production of sawn wood of precious woods (mahogany, tropical cedar)
-production of roundwood of lesser-known species (LKS)
-NTFP extraction, in particular Chamaedorea palm or xate (Chamaedorea spp.), allspice (Pimenta dioica), and chicle gum (Manilkara zapota)
-ecotourism in connection with the archeological sites in the park “El Mirador.”

**All images from Creative Commons. Specific authors: Chris H, Gabriela Allegro