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ParksWatch and Trópico
Verde formed a partnership in February 2001. Founded in 1999, Trópico
Verde is a Guatemalan non-governmental organization dedicated to the defense
of the environment, focusing on the protection of Guatemala's wetlands and forests,
and disseminating conservation information locally, regionally, nationally and
internationally.
ParksWatch-Guatemala works to monitor
and publicize the condition of the country's protected areas, and to propose
strategies for their improvement. It aims to make defending parks a high priority
of the Guatemalan government, to hold industries accountable for their impact
on the environment, and to raise environmental awareness among the Guatemalan
society. Recently, ParksWatch-Guatemala has been focusing efforts on the Maya
Biosphere Reserve in Northern Guatemala. The Maya Biosphere Reserve was created
in 1990 and became Central America's largest protected area, comprising more
than 2 million hectares. The reserve links protected areas in neighboring Belize
and Mexico to form the largest intact block of broad-leafed neotropical forest
north of the Amazon. It is Guatemala's most important protected area.
ParksWatch-Guatemala is the first comprehensive
and independent effort to monitor the progress of conservation efforts in Guatemala.
The ParksWatch - Trópico Verde partnership brings together people experienced
in both research and advocacy, providing the means to evaluate and publicize
the conservation status of Guatemala's beleaguered protected areas.
ParksWatch-Guatemala is under the direction of Carlos
Albacete.
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