Maya Biosphere Reserve, Peten, Guatemala
The Las Guacamayas Biological Field Station lies within the
buffer zone of the 1.6 million Hectare Maya Biosphere reserve in Peten’s
northern region.
Location: Las
Guacamayas Biological Field Station lies on the shore of the San Pedro river in
northern Petén, about 16°49- 17°49'N, 89°08'-91°50'W. The Field Station is
within walking distance (3 miles) of the Maya Indian village Paso Caballos,
population 200 people. The Field Station is the most modern facility within The
Maya Biosphere Reserve, which includes five national parks, three biotopes and a
multiple-use area – Laguna del Tigre is recognized under RAMSAR, and Tikal NP
is a World Heritage site.
Area: Las
Guacamayas Biological Field Station is approx. 450-500 km².
(Located within the 15000-16000 km². Maya Biosphere Reserve).
Altitude: c. 10-800 m.
Vegetation: Subtropical semi-deciduous moist forest,
savanna, wetlands. High diversity:
Flora: High diversity: over 3000 plant species in Maya Biosphere Reserve;
distinct regional endemism; threatened species. Useful Plants: Timber species,
fuel wood, fibers, fruits, medicinals; Maya Biosphere Reserve important for
extraction of non-timber forest products: e.g. xate palm leaves, chicle,
allspice.
Facilities:
The physical station consists of 8 buildings, all of which
were built 1995. The central dining room seats 50, and an equal number can be
accommodated in a diversity of housing including dormitories and smaller cabins.
The laboratory provides ample research space and a range of equipment for
ecological research (e.g. deionized water still, wet tables, autoanalyzer,
spectrophotometer, gas chromatographs, etc.). The Station has a powerful
generator, which is operated in accordance to the group needs. The library and
herbarium are also part of the research quarters, and additional screened
laboratory space is avail-able, as are a soil preparation building, shade
houses, etc. The station is accessible by the San Pedro River and a carefully
maintained trail.
Research:
This lowland tropical rainforest site is a major drawing
card for researchers educators and students from around the world. Many
publications available today are attributable to the Maya Biosphere reserve and
they range in scope from studies on biological diversity to the physical
chemistry of soils. Independent investigators and schools from around the globe
conduct most research. Several long-tern research projects are ongoing at the
station.
Education:
Facilities are made available to high schools,
undergraduate and graduate schools, which are fitted around research priorities.
While the station per se does not offer courses, The University of San Carlos
and Schools from The USA and Canada use the biological reserve each year and
hundreds of local children, parents, and government officials are introduced to
conservation and sustainable land use management through environmental education
programs. Each day, professors and teaching assistants give lectures and provide
background information to help students and visitors develop a conceptual
framework for understanding the diversity of the neotropical rainforest system.
Lectures, group projects and exposure to real examples of plant-animal
interactions are designed to help participants develop their own original
research projects.
The primary goal of Las Guacamayas Biological Field Station
is to provide the means to challenge participants and visitors intellectually,
and utilize with them, the problem-solving skills and academic background needed
to address key issues in tropical ecology, environmental studies, and
conservation. At the same time, to develop and master a plan that would yield a
harmonious and sustainable development in the region, guaranteeing the stability
of present natural and cultural resources.
Geography:
The Las Guacamayas Biological Field Station lies on the
shore of the San Pedro River, which flows westward through the department and
empty into the Usumacinta River and forms the western border with Mexico. The
station is surrounded by the Maya Biosphere, which comprises the northern third
of Guatemala and is one of the last remaining large wildland areas in Central
America. Northern Petén is a plateau at an elevation of 200-4OO m and forms the
beginning of the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico (Ferrusquía-Villafranca 1993). It
is bounded to the south by a transverse chain of lakes extending eastward from
near the Sierra del Lacandon (to 600 m elevation) and beyond Laguna Perdida to
lakes Yaxhá and Sacnab. Central Petén, the low area between Lake Petén Itzá
and the Subín River, encompasses only a small portion of the region. It is made
up of Cretaceous limestone beds overlain with broad, deep clay. The area has
many limestone hills and scattered sinkholes. Southern Petén for the most part
is a broad and higher slightly undulating basin, except in the south-east where
the Maya Mountains extend westward, descending from 1120 m in Belize – they
are significant since the average elevation in the department is 2OO m.
The Region’s mean annual temperature is 26.5°C; the
extremes are 12°C and 40°C. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 900-3500
mm, increasing from north-east to south. There is a pronounced dry season in
January through April-May (Schwartz 1990; Heinzman and Reining 1990; Leyden
1984). Winds are stronger from February to June, and there are sporadic
hurricanes.
The Maya Biosphere Reserve (15,000-16,000 km²) occupies
the northern 40% of the Petén, encompassing nearly 10% of Guatemala's land
area. It includes part of the municipalities La Libertad, San Andrés, San José,
Flores and Melchor de Mencos. The landscape varies from gently undulating plains
to karst topography with rounded to steep hills and narrow valleys. It is
underlain by Early Tertiary limestone. Soils in the seasonally inundated
lowlands are deep, poorly drained clay substrates, whereas in the uplands are
shallow clay soils – neither are suitable for sustained low-input agricultural
production. The precipitation averages 1200-1500 mm annually. The warmest period
is April to September, with an average temperature of 32°C, and the coolest is
November-January, with an average minimum of 20°C.
Vegetation:
About 85% (30,000 km²) of the Petén was covered with
semi-deciduous (seasonal) subtropical moist forest – the majority of the
closed tropical broadleaf forest in Guatemala (cf. Nations and Komer 1984); less
than 50% remains (Schwartz 1990). The northern Petén's vegetation (including
this Biological Field Station) has much of the same flora as in the Yucatán
Peninsula of Mexico and northern Belize. The Maya BR with the contiguous forests
of Mexico and Belize (Site Map when available) is now Mesoamerica's last large
lowland forest, c. 20,0OO km². The canopy is 10-25 m high, being lower in
seasonally flooded forest. Lundell (1937) defines three major tree associations
within upland climax forest: (1) "ramonal" – groves of Brosimum
alicastrum, especially found at sites of Maya ruins; (2) "caobal"
– with Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany); and (3) "zapotal"
– with Manilkara zapota, which is characteristic of dry rather than
mesic upland forest. Epiphytes (e.g. orchids, aroids, bromeliads, cacti), ferns,
bamboo and lianas are very abundant. In low-lying basins as at Laguna del Tigre,
Laguna Perdida and lakes Petén Itzá and Yaxhá are swamps or marshes, which
may be fringed by a "botanal" – with Sabal sp. Dense
communities are found along rivers and the edges of lakes. Floating fern and
sedge bogs occur in some lakes, and water-lilies in shallow open waters – the
dominants are Nymphaea ampla and Nymphoides humboldtianum.
The central Petén has savanna with forested hills.
Sinkholes are covered by herbaceous and subclimax forest (Lundell 1937). The
savanna vegetation may have been created during the ancient Maya times of
3000-1700 BP (Leyden 1984), when they burned the forest for cultivation;
continued burning prevents the forest from re-establishing. The savanna supports
a diverse and complex herbaceous flora, most of which is fire resistant. The
grasslands are surrounded by a barrier of scrub that acts as a buffer,
protecting the mesophytic forest from fire.
The southern Petén, which is the least explored
botanically, has much of the same vegetation as the northern Petén but some
species are less common, such as Manilkara zapota, perhaps replaced by M.
chicle; Swietenia macrophylla has been logged extensively (Lundell
1937; Nations and Komer 1984). Species of Sapotaceae are most characteristic of
this wetter area. The vegetation is allied more with southern Guatemala and
southern Belize. Extensive aquatic and riparian vegetation occurs.
The tropical rain forests of Guatemala are of special value
because their presence in northern Central America and southern Mexico is
particularly complex. Guatemala has some rain forests no older than
10,000-11,000 years, and some in the Petén are considerably younger (1000 years
old) due to former Mayan disturbance (Binford et al. 1987). Late Glacial
vegetation consisted of marsh, savanna and juniper scrub. The Petén thus was
not a Pleistocene refugium for mesophytic taxa (Leyden 1984), but the adjacent
southern Izabal area of Guatemala and Belize may have been (Wendt 1993).
Flora:
The Petén floristic associations are continuous with
associations in the Mexican Lacandon region (CPD Site MA1). Since much of the
Petén is not well known botanically, it is difficult to estimate the number of
vascular plants or endemics. The floristic diversity of the Maya BR is
considered exceptional, with over 3000 plant species (CONAP 1992). The overall
region's flora is considered distinctive; e.g. many of the Petén's regionally
endemic taxa are shared to varying extents with northern Belize and Mexico's
majority of the Yucatán Peninsula to eastern Tabasco and the eastern highlands
of Chiapas (Wendt 1993; Breedlove 1981). Most local Petén endemics have been
found in areas that allow little human intervention, such as steep hills and
swamps (Lundell 1937).
Information on the distribution of plants in the Petén,
for example to determine which are the rare species, is still very limited and
incomplete. Subtropical forests contain relatively low tree-species diversity
and a higher number of individuals per species (Salafsky, Dugelby and Terborgh
1993). The high densities of species such as Manilkara zapota, Chamaedorea
spp. and Pimenta dioica facilitate extractive industry.
Useful
plants:
The Petén region is rich in serviceable plants, for
example thatching palms, construction materials, fuelwood, fibres – e.g. Desmoncus
sp. ("bayal") and Philodendron sp. ("mimbre") for
basketry and furniture, forest fruits, medicinal plants and species marketable
from upland forests, such as Manilkara zapota ("chicozapote"), Chamaedorea
spp. (mostly two understory palms) and Pimenta dioica. A few studies have
analyzed the economic benefits of a conserving, sustainable use of Guatemala's
tropical forests and renewable resources (Nations et al. 1988; Reining
and Heinzman 1992; Salafsky, Dugelby and Terborgh 1993). An estimated 80% of the
hardwoods in Guatemala occur in the Petén, such as Swietenia macrophylla,
Cedrela odorata, Calophyllum brasiliense var. rekoi, Pouteria
spp., Bursera simaruba, Spondias and Ficus (Leyden 1984).
The Maya BR contains more than 300 species of useful trees (CONAP 1990).
A potentially important forest resource is Brosimum
alicastrum ("ramón") – a common tree occasionally up to 30 m
tall, which may have been nurtured by the Maya (Leyden 1984). The seeds were an
important food source in pre-Columbian times, but present human consumption is
quite low (Heinzman and Reining 1990); the fruits, foliage and bark are gathered
as forage for mules and horses. These parts are rich in protein and other
essential nutrients.
Fauna:
The Petén has a rich fauna, which is poorly known. The
country's list so far includes 1453 vertebrate species (not including saltwater
fishes); at least 333 bird species occur in the Petén. The Petén wetlands
provide significant wintering grounds for many North American migratory bird
species. The Laguna del Tigre complex of diverse wetlands represents one of the
most extensive freshwater wetland areas in Central America, of which 484 km²
are recognized under the world's RAMSAR convention.
The Petén is an important refuge for many species, such as
howler monkey, ocelot, margay cat, jaguar, puma, northern tapir, harpy eagle,
macaws, Moreletti's and American crocodiles, iguana, beaded lizard and boa
constrictor. About 133 of the animal species are considered threatened; some
species are listed in CITES appendices as at risk from international trade (URL
1984). No globally threatened bird species or Endemic Bird Areas are in this
rain forest (Stattersfield et al., in press). Nevertheless, the area is
of national importance for a number of species of birds of prey, including the
near-threatened orange- breasted falcon (Falco deiroleucus).
Conservation:
In 1990, the Maya Biosphere Reserve was established. In
three grouped areas, it has five national parks and three reserves (biotopes):
(1) Laguna del Tigre NP and Laguna del Tigre-Río Escondido Biotope (3508 km²),
with Sierra del Lacandon NP nearby (1950 km²); (2) El Mirador NP, Dos Lagunas
Biotope and Río Azul NP (1470 km²); and (3) Tikal NP (573 km²) and the
adjacent San Miguel La Palotada (El Zotz) Biotope (435 km²). A multiple-use
area (7500 km²) adjoins these protected areas for their protection and for the
management of renewable forest resources, and next to the BR's southern boundary
is a 10-15 km wide buffer zone (250 km²).
The Maya BR is cooperatively administered: the lead agency
is CONAP; other key participants include the Centro de Estudios
Conservacionistas (CECON) – the academic unit of the Universidad de San Carlos
de Guatemala that is responsible for promoting field research and conservation
of renewable resources; and the Instituto de Antropología e Historia (IDAEH)
– the government institution responsible for administering the marvellous
cultural heritage. The Maya BR is one of eleven areas given priority under the
region's 1992 Convenio para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad y Protección
de Areas Silvestres Prioritarias en América Central.
The Maya BR is among the key sites in The Nature
Conservancy (TNC) Parks in Peril campaign, to build a conservation
infrastructure and secure long-term funding to sustain local management of the
protected areas and integrate them into local economies (Houseal 1990). The
USAID Maya Resource Management project (MAYAREMA) is offering financial and
technical assistance to CONAP to manage the resources of the BR more sustainably.
The Maya BR abuts two neighbouring protected areas: in
Mexico, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (8250 km²); in Belize, Río Bravo
Conservation Area (610 km²). The US Man and the Biosphere Program in 1992
approved a proposal to develop a regional approach
Other international conservation organizations are
supporting the Guatemalan efforts, including the Center for International
Development and Environment/World Resources Institute (Nations et al.
1988), WWF-US (1989; Cohn 1989) and Conservation International – which is
aiding Guatemalan decision-makers and local communities by promoting low-impact
tourism and developing markets for sustainably harvested products (CI 1991). The
Nature Conservancy is preparing technical studies on 14 protection areas in the
Petén to secure their status as national parks and has established a
Conservation Data Centre in cooperation with the Universidad de San Carlos (TNC
1989).
