Abstract
Mopan Maya in Santa Elena, Toledo, Belize practice a land management system with multiple stages designed to enhance soil fertility and manage fallows for useful species. Using emergy analysis, sustainability of four systems and nine stages was analyzed. Emergy Yield Ratios (EYR) ranged from 8.85 to 13.34 for systems, and from 4.14 to 163.38 for stages, indicating high output per purchased investments. Environmental Loading Ratio (ELR) values between 0.08 and 0.13 for systems, and between 0.01 and 0.32 for stages showed minimal system environmental impacts. The Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI) ranged from 68.63 to 162.65 for systems, and from 13 to 24696 for stages, indicating high sustainability. High ESI values were due partially to renewable resource fractions varying from 0.89 to 0.92 for systems, and 0.76 to 0.99 for stages. EYR, ELR, and ESI values were not dependent on system land areas, but were dependent on stage land areas.