WCS Guatemala

Guatemala is a land of extremes. It has the highest mountains and some of the wildest landscapes in Mesoamerica, yet also the largest human population in the region. The northern part of the country, known as the Petén, is home to vast lowland tropical forests, wetlands and Maya ruins. The Petén is also home to the multi-use Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), established in 1990 to protect approximately 16,000 km² of Guatemalan forest.  The MBR, the largest protected area in Mesoamerica, is home to more than 95 species of mammals and 400 species of birds. Since 1992, WCS has worked with local partners to protect the wildlife and forests of northern Guatemala from a wide range of threats.

The Human Aspect
More than half of Guatemalans are descendants of Mayans. In both rural and urban areas, the country is experiencing rapid population growth and high levels of poverty. In the Petén, traditional communities face new challenges including migration from Mexico and illegal agricultural encroachment by powerful ranching interests.  WCS is helping local communities protect their forests by improving community organization, raising international awareness of threats facing the communities, and improving local livelihoods through low-impact economic activities.

Threats
Major threats facing the Maya Biosphere Reserve include forest fires, unsustainable agricultural expansion, wildlife poaching and poorly planned large-scale development projects. Combined, these forces result in rapid deforestation that may doom the region’s wildlife. Secondary threats include inadequate conservation policy and funding at the local and regional levels.

WCS Activities
Since 1997, WCS has supported the village of Uaxactún’s efforts to attain and manage an 835 km² forest concession dedicated to sustainable forest management and conservation – the largest and most successful such concession in Guatemala. Uaxactún is the only community located in a 10,000 km² area north of the Maya temples of Tikal, and as such serves as the main gateway to the intact eastern part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Our activities at Uaxactún include:

• Planning and monitoring the sustainable extraction of non-timber forest resources, including local wildlife management initiatives
• Training local people in field research, fire fighting and vigilance skills
• Monitoring populations of key wildlife species

WCS assists the Guatemalan Park Service (CONAP) in the management of the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) and has enjoyed support from USAID for biological monitoring of the reserve’s ecological integrity. WCS researchers conduct surveys of wide-ranging “landscape species”, including jaguars, tapir, white-lipped peccaries and scarlet macaws, to quantify the impact of threats including habitat loss and poaching. The jaguar studies conducted in Guatemala are part of a broader WCS effort to document and monitor jaguar populations across Central America.  WCS is also strengthening our local partner Asociación Balam, a conservation NGO dedicated to the co-management of protected areas within the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

WCS is fighting to save the MBR’s scarlet macaw population from extirpation caused by the pet trade.  WCS has a multi-pronged approach to conserving scarlet macaws that includes nest protection, artificial nest construction, veterinary monitoring and awareness-raising initiatives. As a result of WCS efforts, in 2004 the Guatemalan government authorized the military and police to restore law to Laguna del Tigre National Park (home to many of the remaining macaw nests). WCS plays a leading role in the effort to stop poaching at Laguna del Tigre and elsewhere in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s scarlet macaw project has been chosen by the BBC's Saving Planet Earth series as an example of excellence in conservation. This project will be eligible for a grant from the fund created by donations made through Saving Planet Earth.

Donations to the project will be used to monitor nesting sites, obtain satellite equipment to assess the habitat needs of scarlet macaws and help provide artificial nests.

Important Next Steps

• Continue strengthening the Asociación Balám at Mirador–Río Azul National Park.
• Stabilize the protection of Laguna del Tigre National Park with CONAP and IDAEH, the Guatemalan Archeological Institute.
• Develop a community-based conservation initiative with the community of Paso Caballos.
• Collaborate with partners in Mexico and Belize to address regional threats.
• Disseminate lessons learned at Uaxactún and replicate successful projects to benefit other stakeholders in the tri-national Maya Forest.