Learn about the Core Zone, the Multiple Use Site, and the Buffer Zone
Creation of the Reserve
The Reserve is divided into Three Sections
The Core
The Multiple Use Site
The Buffer Zone
The main reason for the creation of the zones was to prevent the onslaught of deforestation which had caused damage to the wildlife and overall land.
Each zone is designated for the communities to protect over with the supervision of Rainforest Alliance, the National Council for Protected Areas, the Association of Forestry Communities of Peten, Forest Stewardship Council and the local government which offers training, certification and education of the land and its resources.
Each zone is reserved for either harvesting timber products, non-timber products, ecotourism or natural conservation.
The Core Zone
(Photo courtesy of Sergio Izquierdo)
The Core Zone covers ⅓ of the Reserve (767,000 ha). It is a strict conservation area and is heavily protected from any human activities which mean living communities, logging, cattle ranching, agriculture, and farming are prohibited. This area is made up of 4 beautiful national parks and 4 biotopes.
Click here to learn more about the national parks
The Multiple-Use Zone
The Multiple-Use Zone covers 40 percent of the Reserve (848,400 ha) is made up of mostly forest concessions that have been allocated to local communities and includes a variety of sustainable activities which includes farming, and the harvesting of NTFPs including chicle gum, xate palm, allspice, honey, and other wild plants, and seeds.
The Buffer Zone
Source: Mongabay
The Buffer Zone covers ¼ of the Reserve (497,500 ha) and is located in the southernmost part of the Reserve. It relies mostly on agriculture and heavy cattle ranching which turns the land to non forest uses. There are also villages here with a community of individuals and families
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecting Petén to the Rest of Guatemala
Over the past few decades, particularly following the 36 year civil war, the federal government of Guatemala has been investing in connecting not just the Reserve, but also the Petén to the rest of the country through building infrastructure, and investing in business development and tourism. The main intent seems to be connecting the Petén socially and politically with the rest of the nation.
“Petén is different. It has always been different. In terms of all the institutions that govern, the situation of Petén is completely different.”
- Jorge Cruz, Rainforest Alliance Petén
The Petén region is unique from the rest of Guatemala not only because of its forests, but also the way in which the communities are organized. A large part of this is related to the local cooperatives and community boards in both concession and non-concession communities. Community members organize, advocate for their needs, and govern their land.
Regional non-profits like ACOFOP and the recent addition of the cooperative company FORESCOM advocate politically for the concession communities. CONAP remains the principal collaborating arm of the national government and the communities in the MBR.
The political distance between the Petén and the rest of the country is shrinking through community members from the Petén gaining recognition and positions of power. Nevertheless, Petén will always remain unique in its forests and communities.
A map shows the extent of deforestation in the three zones of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, including active community forest concessions certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Map courtesy of the Rainforest Alliance
Comments