December 19, 2002 thirty invadors originating from the town of Poptún, which is in southern Petén, settled illegally in a place called Bendición, which is located inside of Yaxhá, Nakum, Naranjo Natural Monument, close to the southwestern border. After a short negotiation with officials from the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) the settlers decided to peacefully abandon the settlement.
This rapid intervention by the authorities is good news, yet it is also a sign of the monument\’s vulernability–the same location has been illegally settled twice before. In August 2002 another illegal occupation ended after a long and difficult negotiation that supposedly moved the settlers to land outside of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Now, four months later, another illegal settlement has been stopped just after a few hours of its beginning. Even though the reaction time and negotiations were quick and successful, the area is highly unstable and it is quite probable that another occupation will occur in the future.
Illegal settlements represent one of the greatest threats to Yaxhá, Nakum, Naranjo Natural Monument (see ParksWatch\’s park profile from September 2002). Other impacts resulting from illegal settlements include land use change, forest fires, poaching and illegal fishing. These impacts threaten the natural monument and it is at risk of failing to protect its biodiversity in the near future.
(Top photo: An illegal settlement on the western limit of the protected area. The photo was taken by ParksWatch in August 2002.)
ParksWatch: December 2002