© 2008 Consorcio Chiclero SC de RL / Mayan Rainforest Co., Ltd.

The harvesting of Chicle is, and always has been based upon sustainable practices. Here in the rainforests of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula, home to ancient Mayan culture and of the jaguar, some of Earth's most biodiverse ecosystems survive. Vast extensions of tropical rainforests in southeastern Mexico merge into those in Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua to form the Gran Petén, the second largest rainforest in America after Amazonia. Unlike other regions of Mexico, where up to 80% of the original jungles have been lost to logging, cattle ranching and agriculture, these rainforests have survived. They continue to thrive, covering 1.3 million hectares in the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán. Jungles that witnessed the development of the Mayan culture are currently home to the jaguar and some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the planet. They stand facing the huge Mesoamerican coral reef, the second largest in the world. These rainforests have been conserved due to the presence of people, not their absence. Environmentally conscious communities sustainably managed these ancient jungles to the benefit of nature and wildlife. For more than a century, the community, organised as a large, efficient cooperative, has been extracting latex from the tall Chicozapote trees (Manilkara zapota) , from which chicle is prepared.