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A Print A Tree Project · Guatemala
Forest restoration in Guatemala. Lowland forest brought back by the community that owns the land.
Native forest replanted at Esteros de Acapan, near Guatemala’s Pacific coast, by local families who are being paid for the work and who will farm the restored land for generations.
- Trees funded by Printlogik
- 1
- UN global goals supported
- 11
- Esteros de Acapan, Guatemala
- 14.4°N, 92.0°W
In short
- Where: Esteros de Acapan, on the coastal plain of south-west Guatemala, where the rivers run down into the mangrove estuaries.
- What: Replanting native lowland forest and growing native trees the community can farm and sell.
- Who: Restoration Era, which works with the community and pays local people a living wage to plant and care for the trees.
- Why: Less than a tenth of the region’s forest is left. Losing it has meant less rain, eroded soil and very little paid work.
Why this part of Guatemala
The Guatemalan government, working with the United Nations, has named two river basins as essential to the country’s wellbeing: the Samalá and the Ocosito. Restoration Era is working with Guatemala’s Ministry of Water to restore them all the way from the mountains to the mangrove estuaries on the coast.
Esteros de Acapan is one part of that effort. It sits near the coast, in what was once tropical wooded savannah. Ecologi says decades of clearing have reduced rainfall, worn away the soil and left less than a tenth of the region’s forest standing.
The area matters for wildlife too. BirdLife International lists part of it as a key biodiversity area and the whole region as an endemic bird area, and Conservation International counts it as a biodiversity hotspot.
Land the community owns
The land belongs to the community. It was granted through Guatemala’s Fondos de Tierra land fund as an act of reparation, and each family has rights to an equal share. It can’t be sold outside the community, so the forest being restored here stays in local hands.
Ecologi says the community had earned no income for five years before the project began. For many people, planting and caring for these trees is the first steady paid work they have had.
How the planting is going
The team plants native forest species alongside native agroforestry trees that families can grow for market. Restoration Era also helps people sell what they grow and meet buyers.
Before the main planting, the team cleared weeds, which doubles as a firebreak, and built “live fences” from cuttings of a native tree called Palo Jiote. The cuttings take root and grow into trees, keeping livestock away from the new saplings. By July 2026 they had planted 3,565 of them, and improved a well to water the plants through dry spells.
Rain has been the challenge. Ecologi’s July 2026 update describes long dry gaps in the rainy season, so the team waited for steady rain before moving seedlings out of the nursery, with the bulk of the planting running until October.
What it has changed for people
Ecologi’s updates follow some of the people involved. María, a single mother of three, moved to the coast to keep her sons safe, but found the land too damaged to support her family and had to send her children to stay with her sister. With steady income from the project, she has brought them home and can provide three meals a day.
Kevin, the project’s monitoring lead, is set to become the first person in his family and his community to go on to higher education, paid for by what he has earned. He has chosen to study sustainable agriculture so he can bring that knowledge back to the project.
The community has also clubbed together to buy a used truck. Bad roads had left the town cut off, sometimes impassable for buses in the rainy season. Now they can reach services in nearby towns and get their produce to buyers.
The project on record
Ecologi lists this project as live, funded since 2025.
- April 2026The site becomes part of the restoration of the Samalá and Ocosito river basins. Working with the government, the area near the protected land at El Manchón is to become a conservation zone where hunting is not allowed, to bring back habitat for jaguar, deer, wild boar, iguana, oncilla, fox and many birds.
- July 20263,565 Palo Jiote cuttings planted as live fences, and 117,124 trees planted so far.
- August 2026Kevin, the monitoring lead, heads to university to study sustainable agriculture.
- September 2026The community buys a shared truck to move produce to market.
117,124trees planted at Esteros de Acapan by July 2026, according to Ecologi’s update.
How the project is checked
We do not choose or run the projects ourselves. They are selected and monitored by Ecologi, which names Restoration Era as the partner that delivers the project and verifies its impact.
Ecologi keeps a public record of what each of its members has funded, so our contribution can be checked by anyone. The link is in the project details below.
What Printlogik has funded here
Through the Print A Tree Project, Printlogik orders have funded 1 tree here so far. Our first contribution went to this project in October 2026, and the figure updates as new orders come in.
How your order gets here
- You order printAny order, of any size. There is nothing to tick and nothing extra to pay.
- We make a contributionEach invoice triggers a contribution from Printlogik to Ecologi.
- Trees go in the groundEcologi funds projects like this one, and records what we have funded in public.
The UN global goals it supports
The United Nations has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals for a fairer, healthier planet by 2030. Ecologi records this project as supporting 11 of them.
- 1No poverty
- 2Zero hunger
- 3Good health and well-being
- 5Gender equality
- 6Clean water and sanitation
- 8Decent work and economic growth
- 10Reduced inequalities
- 11Sustainable cities and communities
- 13Climate action
- 15Life on land
- 17Partnerships for the goals
Where it is
Esteros de Acapan, Guatemala · 14.4°N, 92.0°W
| Location | Esteros de Acapan, south-west Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Type of project | Reforestation |
| Run by | Restoration Era |
| Status | Live on Ecologi, funded since 2025 |
| Funded by Printlogik | 1 tree |
| Full record | See it on Ecologi |
Questions
Forest restoration in Guatemala, answered
Where is the project?
At Esteros de Acapan, on the coastal plain of south-west Guatemala, where the Samalá and Ocosito river basins reach the mangrove estuaries.
What is being planted?
Native lowland forest trees, native agroforestry species the community can farm and sell, and Palo Jiote cuttings that grow into living fences.
Who owns the land?
The local community. It was granted as an act of reparation, each family has an equal share, and it cannot be sold outside the community.
Who plants the trees?
People from the community, employed and paid a living wage by Restoration Era.
Is the project still running?
Yes. Ecologi lists it as live, and its latest update is from September 2026.
How does my print order help?
Every Printlogik order funds tree planting and carbon reduction through Ecologi, at no extra cost to you. Some of those trees are planted here.
Can I check this?
Yes. Ecologi publishes the project and our contributions. See the project on Ecologi, or our public profile from the Print A Tree page.
More from the Print A Tree Project
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