Guatemala gets conservation boost
mongabay.com
July 6, 2007
Guatemala's Eastern Maya Biosphere Reserve will receive $3 million in funding from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Bronx Zoo-based organization announced Friday. The funds will go toward the establishment of a conservation network called the "Mesa Multisectorial para el Area Natural y Cultural de El Mirador-Rio Azul," which will span more than 3,800 square miles — an area larger than Yellowstone National Park — as well as provide financing for El Mirador-Rio Azul National Park. Both protected areas, considered globally important as both wildlife and archeological sites, are threatened by illegal land settlement and poaching.
Jaguar. Photo by R. Butler
"The Maya Biosphere is a globally important region for wildlife," said John Calvelli, WCS Senior Vice President for Public Affairs. "It is our belief that helping create, guide and strengthen first rate Guatemalan civil society institutions capable of responding to the conservation challenges of the future, and adding value to governmental investments, is one of the most important contributions we can make to support the conservation of Guatemala's natural resources."
WCS says the protected areas house 95 species of mammals and 400 species of birds, as well as numerous Mayan archeological sites.
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