The
Sierra del Lacandón is the second largest park in the Maya Biosphere
Reserve and the third largest in the country of Guatemala. Located in
the northwestern section of the department of Petén, in the municipality
of La Libertad, it is a region of great scenic beauty following the length
of the Usumacinta River, along the border with Mexico. The park occupies
a very important place in the northern part of the Mesoamerican Biological
Corridor (Corredor Biológico Mesoamericano or CBM, in Spanish).
At present, the area of the Sierra del Lacandón is the only natural
bridge connecting the mountainous ecosystems of northeastern Chiapas with
the forest and wetland ecosystems in the lowlands of the Petén.
The Usumacinta River also represents a link between the ecosystems of
its upper and lower drainages.
Given
the conjunction of various physical and biological elements, the Sierra
del Lacandón National Park exhibits phenomena and sites with characteristics
of high value for conservation. Specifically, certain ecosystems of the
park, such as cenotes and certain small lakes, have conditions of isolation
favorable to the evolution of endemic systems. Moreover, the mountainous
topography and relatively isolated hills favor the development of these
systems in organisms of limited distribution. These systems have not been
examined in detail, as the area has remained largely unexplored for many
years. It is important to note that in some sense the park has been conserved
thanks to the presence during the civil war of the Communities of Populations
in Resistance (CPRs).
For the development of the park as a protected area, and following the
Master Plan developed for the park, the Co-administration has established
the following programs:
Administration
The
administration of the park has strengthened its organization, with individual
teams acting in accord with their functions, and granted a series of charges
based on the Human Development Plan drawn up for the Sierra del Lacandón
National Park. One very important aspect for the operation and functioning
of the park is the endowment of required financing. Currently the administration
has succeeded in consolidating the difficult mechanisms of its budget,
and has succeeded in covering the necessities that have so far presented
themselves. Foreseeing financial self-sufficiency, the administration
has worked hard to seek funds for the future maintenance of the park,
and to establish a stable financial base.
Inter-institutional relationships have succeeded in coordinating government
organizations, non-governmental organizations, and communities, further
strengthening the park. For example, relations between the National Council
of Protected Areas (CONAP in Spanish), and the municipality of La Libertad,
yielded community support for protection of the municipal environment,
participation in the elaboration of the 2001-2005 Master Plan of the Maya
Biosphere Reserve, and conformation with the Regional Environmental Council.
Conservation
The
Sierra del Lacandón is currently faced by greatest challenges to
its preservation. After four years of co-administration, the Fundación
Defensores de la Naturaleza (Defenders of Nature) has taken great steps
to control the major depredations to park resources, among which are principally:
fires during the dry season, the illegal extraction of lumber, and the looting
of non-wood resources including fauna and archaeological pieces. There
is also serious risk of flooding in much of the park should a plan to dam
the Usumacinta below the park be carried out. All of the efforts
of the Defensores have carried forward and strengthened the strategies of
control and guardianship, and have involved not only governmental organizations,
but also the communities around the park, with the goal of mediating a process
that changes the treatment of the protected area.In order to adequately develop the work of conservation, the Defensores have worked to demarcate the park boundaries, supporting the updating of private lands, as well as establishing relations with proprietors, forming connections in the search to realize activities compatible with the objectives of the park and the current use of soil and other resources. One of the successful activities along the lines of community settlements was the process of relocation of families that living in the park as of 2000. Forty-six families were relocated to Grupos Guayacán and Nueva Jersusalén II, outside of the Sierra del Lacandón.
Investigation
With
the objective of taking actions to better its conservation, the park administration
has developed investigations of the habitat of the scarlet macaw. Towards
this end, three macaws were fitted with radio-transmitters, and these
were followed as they crossed between the Laguna del Tigre National Park
and the Sierra del Lacandón, going as far as the territories of
Belize and Mexico. Working with other groups, the Defensores formed an
interinstitutional organization call “Macaws without Frontiers”
with the goal of coordinating and optimizing protection efforts.
Other investigations focused on describing the ecology of the cenotes around the area of the Macabilero. This study will permit us a better understanding of the biological diversity and regionality that until has not previously been explored. Because of its karst geography, this area of the Petén has witnessed the formation of these geological forms (cenotes) together with the natural and cultural resources that as encountered in the area form a hitherto unknown system.
One of the principle concerns has been to see how the natural ecologies
and the stability of resources of the park have been affected by the traditional
uses of those resources by local communities and by forest fires. In order
to examine these issues a study has been conducted with the goal of identifying
the potential recovery of burned and cultivated areas, as well as a study
of the viability of the sustainable extraction of xate (a decorative plant
sold to florests in North America and elsewhere).
Sustainable Development
The
Defensores de la Naturaleza works according to the Plan of Operations for
the Development of Ecotourism in the Sierra del Lacandón National
Park, which emphasizes the economic value of the natural and cultural resources
of the Sierra. Both of these resources are of high quality and of national
and international importance. The objective of the plan is to provide the
park administration with a tool that will direct the orientation, organization,
operations, and development of ecotourism in the Sierra del Lacandón
National Park. Another initiative has been the Binational Cooperation for the Development of Community Ecotourism on the Usumacinta River, a project being developed in conjunction with Conservation International in Chiapas with the support of USAID-México. This binational project seeks to build cooperative efforts for responsible tourism on the Usumacinta River through the participation of local communities, and to raise the level of tourism to stimulate greater investments in local populations.
On the theme of environmental education and the dissemination of information, the park seeks to change the conduct of people living in and around the park to permit conservation and sustainable use of the natural and cultural resources in accord with the directives of the Strategy of Regional Environmental Education, which is coordinated by the Comisión Interinstitucional de Seguimiento de la Estrategia de Educación Ambiental para Petén (CISEA), of which the Defensores is an active member.
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