On February 14th, 2001, ParksWatch – Guatemala conducted a monitoring flight over Laguna del Tigre National Park (PNLT). The activity was coordinated in part by LightHawk, a non-profit organization founded in 1979 that addresses critical environmental issues by providing an aerial perspective on areas of concern in the United States, Canada and Central America.
Located in the Northwest part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), Laguna del Tigre is Guatemala\’s largest park, encompassing a complete ecosystem of wetlands and tropical forest. Despite the fact that it has been included on the Rasar Convention\’s List of Wetlands of International Importance, parts of Laguna del Tigre National Park have been opened up for oil production.
A seasonal wetland in Laguna del Tigre National Park.
A road was built to access the wells and human invasions soon followed. The objective of the flight was to evaluate the current condition of PNLT and in particular to document recent invasions.
A closer look at the settlement seen in the top photo.
ParksWatch – Guatemala encountered numerous illegal settlements and patches of deforestation as far as 15 km from the road; however, much more surprising were several areas of logging activity far from the road near the Mexican border. These findings support fears in the conservation community that loggers have been entering PNLT from Mexico. ParksWatch – Guatemala informed the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) of the exact location of the invasions. As a result, three Mexican men were arrested for illegal logging as reported in the Guatemalan newspaper, Prensa Libre, February 26, 2001.
(Initial photo: Small lagoon with invasion: This settlement is located approximately 15 kms from the oil road. There are four structures, probably two houses and two maize storage huts, near the edge of the lagoon. Surrounding hte house is a field of maize. The brown trees are dead from burning the area to plant maize.)
ParksWatch: February 2001