The project area, in the Czech Republic, contains the only Norway spruce forest in Europe adapted to a montane climate. The park and its forests have become heavily degraded by air pollution. The Olafo project area is in a part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in the Peten region of northern Guatemala that permits multiple land uses. Under the current system of shifting subsistence agriculture, land can be cultivated for 2 years, but then must lie fallow for 8 years. Permanent agriculture is not possible because of high weed infestation and low soil fertility.
Residents are primarily migrants.
For each new arrival, about one hectare of new land must be cleared. After the land has been cultivated for 2 years, additional forest must be converted to agriculture. Because of population pressures, the shifting cultivation cycle is unsustainable and deforestation continues. The project is attempting both to promote the sustainable management of natural forests and to extend the cultivation time of shifting agricultural lands thorugh the use of green cover crops. Specifically, it aims to extend the cropping period from 2 years to 8-10 years.