80,000 Acres Added to Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

A good deal for jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, tapir, howler monkey, spider monkey, scarlet macaw, ocellated turkey, harpy eagle, and other endangered wildlife.

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The Maya Biosphere Reserve of Guatemala was just expanded by 80,000 acres through a conservation effort by Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners.

Photo By: Melvin Mérida / WCS

The Wildlife Conservation Society and partners signed an agreement this spring that will safeguard some 80,000 acres of intact forest in Guatemala in the heart of the sprawling Maya Biosphere Reserve that serves as a gateway to the renowned archaeological site of El Mirador.

Spanning nearly five million acres, the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Petén, Guatemala is home to not only some of the world’s most important archaeological sites but also diverse ecosystems with a vast array of flora and fauna. The agreement includes the enforcement of bans on hunting of jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, tapir, howler monkey, spider monkey, scarlet macaw, ocellated turkey, harpy eagle, and other endangered wildlife.

In the past few decades, the Maya Biosphere Reserve has faced growing threats from human activities including illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture, and ranching in protected areas, along with drug trafficking, poaching, and looting of Maya artifacts.

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