ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book demonstrates not merely the possibility but also the probability that the Maya milpa system. The co-authors of this book, have spent our careers in the forest with these descendants of the ancient Maya, and have been struck by their intimate relationship to their environment and their vision of the forest. They argue that conservation of the Maya forest must engage the traditional farmer, whose skills and knowledge created-and continue to maintain-the forest and its culture. It is important to understand that the developed European culture views agriculture and forests as incompatible. With their model of forest cover based on the maize field requirements for the El Pilar area, and relying on habitat classifications for Tikal, they show that significant forest cover remained under intensive cultivation. It concludes by considering the future of the Maya forest.
