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Guatemala's Maya BiosphereReserve

An Eco-Friendly Adventure Alongthe Maya Trails

Current conditions Most obvious human transformation is cutting of forests

• Key ecological roles:repository for biodiversity

• Affect local and globalclimate and air quality

• Affect hydrological cycle• Influence soil quality and

formation• Prevent or slow down

erosion

No clear idea of speed ofdeforestation

• Because there is norecord on a globalscale of how muchwoodland there istoday, or in the past

Deforestion by pollen analysis• Started around mesolithic

9,000 yrs BP• Waves of romans,

phoenicians, western andcentral europe, australia,south africa, and northamerica in 200 yearscleared more than theeuropeans did in 2000

Mediterranean Old Lands• For instance visitors regard the landscape of olive trees,

vines, low bushes and strong scented herbs as mainattraction: it is however the result of massive env.Degradation brought about by artifical systems ofirrigation, and long term pressure from settlement andgrowing population. The natural vegetation of theMediterranean was mixed evergreen and deciduous forestof oaks, beech, pines, and cedars.

Secondary forest• Clearance, cultivation and subsequent

abandonment of forests in the moist tropic hasresulted in secondary forest.

• They make up most or all of the remaining foreststoday.

• The abandoned plots are colonized by herbs,shrubs and a canopy of pioneer trees, that growrapidly, need a lot of light, and has a low-densityof wood. It will take 500 years before this forestwill become a primary forest

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The Peten’• The Maya Biosphere

Reserve (15,000-16,000km__ occupies thenorthern 40% of thePetén, encompassingnearly 10% ofGuatemala's land area

About 85% of the Petén was covered with(seasonal) subtropical moist forest – the

majority of the closed tropical broadleaf forestin Guatemala

• less than 50% remains.

• The northern Petén'svegetation (including theBiological Field Station) hasmuch of the same flora as inthe Yucatán Peninsula ofMexico and northern Belize.The Maya BR with thecontiguous forests of Mexicoand Belize is nowMesoamerica's last largelowland forest,

• However, both ecological integrity andeconomic productivity of the Peten'sforest are now being threatened.

• Over the past twenty years, thepopulation in the Peten has nearlyquadrupled — endangering the forest'sresources.

As the population rises, sections of the forest areburned for agricultural and cattle-grazing purposes.

• Overharvesting and poaching offorest products for overseasmarkets compound this problem.

• Scarlet macaw chicks aresmuggled out under thefloorboards of vehicles, duct-taped to keep silent. Althoughmost die during transit, the priceis high for a macaw chick,making the temptation for muchneeded profit too great todiscontinue such practices.

A Solution

• Ecotourism

Shift in focus

• One solution is topromote low-impacttourism as analternative income toslash-and-burnagriculture anddestruction of thejungle.

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chicle• each of the trails offers a

different, unique focus such asspotting nesting scarlet macaws,viewing millions of fruit bats asthey emerge from their “batcave,"

• participation in the sustainableharvest of "chicle" from theforest, and a trek tounexcavated Mayan ruins.Some of the Mayan Trailsculminate in a visit to thefamous Tikal ruins.

The Maya Biosphere Reserve,includes five national parks…….

three biotopes and amultiple-use area –Laguna del Tigreand Tikal NP is aWorld Heritage site.

over 3000 plant species inMaya Biosphere Reserve

• important for extractionof non-timber forestproducts: e.g. xate palmleaves, chicle, allspice.

• contains more than 300species of useful trees

• some seeds were animportant food sourcein pre-Columbian times

1453 vertebrate species and atleast 333 bird species

• The Petén is an important refuge for many species,such as howler monkey, ocelot, margay cat, jaguar,puma, northern tapir, harpy eagle, macaws,Moreletti's and American crocodiles, iguana, beadedlizard and boa constrictor.

• The Maya BR abutstwo neighbouringprotected areas: inMexico, CalakmulBiosphere Reserve(8250 km; in Belize,Río BravoConservation Area(610 km)

Conservation Int’l and ProPeten

• ProPeten works withlocal communities toconserve biologicaldiversity by increasingenvironmentalawareness anddeveloping economicalternatives for localcommunities.

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The Mayan Trails• are a series of community-led and managed

trails covering different ecosystems andvillages in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

3 day trek

• …begins at the small agricultural communityof Paso Dos Cavallos, about 70-km northeastof Flores, the Peten's capital.

• This is where Conservation International andthe local community, consisting of about 63families, have joined forces to prepare thevillage for tourism. A small, rural community such asPaso Dos Cavallos greatly benefits from the revenue brought inby tourists, and in exchange the visitors get a rare opportunity toglimpse into the everyday lives of the people of rural Guatemala.

A Solution

• Ecotourism

A Solution

• ecotourism --"responsible travel tonatural areas thatconserves theenvironment andsustains the well-being of localpeople. "

Ecotourism• is an increasingly popular form of tourism in which

tourists seek out wild and scenic areas….• such as rainforests or mountains for an active and

educational trip.• The tourists are usually from North America, Europe

or Australia/New Zealand; Germany theirdestination is often in the developing world.

Ecotourism• Ecotourism has also become popular

among people interested in bothenvironmental conservation andsustainable development. It hasbeen called a way to save the rainforestand a "win-win developmentstrategy for undeveloped rural areas."

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Ecotourism (the game)

• In many situations, however, ecotourism failsto deliver on its promise.

• Many researchers have studied ecotourism'sfailures as well as its successes. In this game,you can try your hand at developing anecotourism project in the Amazon.

• Can you make ecotourism sustainable?Good luck!

Your challenge

http://eduweb.com/ecotourism/