GC Progress Report: Mirador National Park Completes Two Years Rangers Patrolling Over 25,000 Kilometers

Global Conservation is working to secure the permanent protection for Mirador National Park in Peten, Guatemala – the Heart of the Maya Biosphere. The Maya Biosphere has lost over 80% of its intact tropical forests and wildlife habitats in the past 20 years.

Mirador National Park will protect the Heart of the Maya Biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which is losing an average of 100,000 acres a year to land clearing for slash and burn agriculture and cattle ranching. Mirador National Park is the last major intact primary forest remaining in Central America endowed with over 40 major ancient Maya cities, immense temples and pyramids, and hundreds of miles of interconnected Mayan causeways, all in an area larger than Yellowstone.

We focused our Park and Wildlife Protection funding from January 2017 – June 2018 on establishing the first Mirador Park Authority, the first Mirador Ranger Teams, Community Ecoguards, and trained the Mirador Guide Association in partnership with the local communities. The Mirador National Park protection program is led by Mr. Francisco Asturius, Director of FundaEco, our NGO partner in Guatemala.

In the past 18 months, we have funded $360,000 for protecting Mirador National Park intact tropical forests and wildlife with a dedicated team of Guatemalan rangers, including equipment, transportation and training, as well as securing 66,000 acres of new protected area – Selva Maya – formerly a logging concession.

Due to the extensive threats to Mirador from all sides due to narco­trafficking, illegal logging, wildlife poaching, and land clearing for cattle ranching, establishing and supporting the Mirador Rangers has never been more critical. Without the Mirador Rangers, we will be losing our last forests and wildlife of Mirador National Park.

Mirador National Park is one of the world’s wonders with over a million acres of Guatemalan tropical forests still intact containing the largest and oldest Mayan cities, pyramids and temples. Mirador is Guatemala’s leading candidate for UNESCO World Heritage designation representing the Cradle of Maya Civilization.

Without protection by the government of Guatemala, 80% of the surrounding Maya Biosphere has been destroyed in the past 20 years. Threats to Mirador include massive land clearing for cattle ranching funded by narco­trafficking, wildlife poaching, illegal logging and the looting of archeological sites which are the economic engines for future communities and the country.

Nearby Tikal National Park generates over 38,000 jobs and $840 million in tourism income every year. Mirador contains 12 ancient Maya cities larger than Tikal. Working with our partners FundaEco, CECON and Rainforest Trust, Global Conservation has established the first Mirador Park Authority and four teams of Mirador Park Rangers. Mirador Rangers work with and local communities to achieve “No Cut No Kill” protection of these endangered spaces and wildlife.

Global Conservation has deployed Global Park Defense including SMART Rangers, Cellular Trailcam Surveillance, Satellite Forest Monitoring, Park­wide Communications, and Community Ecoguards who patrol with Mirador Rangers and the local police. Over time, former wildlife poachers, looters and hunters are being trained and selected from Community Ecoguards to become full­time rangers.  Based on Mirador’s natural and cultural treasures, with thousands of visitors, communities are shifting from extraction industries to sustainable ecotourism, improving their living conditions without resorting to illegal activities.

Fires from 2002­2014, which are now surrounding and encroaching into Mirador National Park.  Below: Burning on April 15th 2017 (one day closed schools in Houston to New Orleans).

Mirador National Park Progress Summary – 2017 – May 2018

We now entering our second year of a 5­year park transformation program to deploy Global Park Defense to achieve “No Kill, No Cut” Protection to stop wildlife poaching, looting of archaeological sites, illegal logging and land clearing. Progress in 2017   and 2018 towards permanent Mirador National Park protection includes:

1. Established Mirador’s first Park Authority and Ranger Teams. Activated close cooperation with Police and Guatemalan Army.

2. Deployed Global Park Defense systems, equipment and training.

3. 3D LiDAR Scanning of entire Mirador National Park identifying over 40,000  monuments, temples, pyramids and other ancient Maya structures.

4. Equipped Mirador Rangers with All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and 4x4 Truck.

5. Mirador Wildlife Population Baseline – deployed 60 camera traps to estimate jaguar and prey populations 6. Creation of new Year­Around Mirador Trail network including survey, mapping,  signage design and bridge building.

7. Completed two major 50,000­gallon water cisterns critical for rangers, tourists  (now over 4,000 visitors) and Mirador archaeological teams (over 300 people).

8. Training of sixty (60) certified Mirador Guides on cultural, natural and geological history of Mirador, as well as hygiene, foreign languages.  

Typical Mirador Ranger on patrol with All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) provided by Global Conservation.

Mirador National Park January 2017 – June 2018. Global Conservation Funding

Mirador National Park. New Program: Mirador Community Ecoguards

Mirador Community Ecoguard program will train and equip twelve (12) Community  Ecoguards who assist Mirador Park Rangers teams undertaking key protection and conservation activities, including:

• Park monitoring and surveillance
• Trail and camp maintenance
• Visitor safety and security
• Communications with rangers and law enforcement
• Assist NGOs in wildlife conservation
• Assist community tourism cooperatives

A number of the Community Ecoguards will able to transition into the full­time Mirador  Park Rangers when the Mirador Park Authority is established in 2019­2020. Community Ecoguards play a critical role assisting park rangers and community tourism cooperatives monitoring trails and roads using SMART ranger patrols and surveillance systems.

Community Ecoguards conduct patrols into high­ threat areas based on satellite, UAV  drone, sensor and human intelligence. SMART Patrol tech and training will be implemented to enable detailed reporting and tracking of illegal activities and patrol effectiveness. The Community Ecoguards are selected from the local communities from the gateway communities of Mirador – Carmelita and San Andres.

Community Ecoguards support Mirador Rangers in three ways:

1. Increased Patrolling Coverage

2. Forest Monitoring and Surveillance

3. Alternative Livelihoods

The long­term goal over the next decade is to enable increased tourism revenues and community benefits of tourism revenues including improved schools, medical facilities,  water treatment and other development essentials.

Next Steps: Launching New Mirador Visitor Permits; Park Management Authority

In the coming years, we are working with the Government of Guatemala to begin a  Mirador National Park User Permit, which will bring in sustainable revenues from park visitors to support the salaries and operations of the Mirador Park Authority and  Rangers. Pricing for international visitors is likely to be $50­100 per week generating $100,000 to $200,000 in Permit Use fees assuming 2,000 visitors. As well, Mirador  8 Guides are charging $600­$800 per week for guiding into the Mirador National Park with mules, camp, cooks and equipment for visitor security.

Mirador National Park. Partners in Conservation

Special Thank Yous

Special Thanks to Francisco Asturius who leads the Mirador Rangers and Community  Ecoguard Program, The Mirador Rangers and Ecoguards teams; Dr. Richard Hansen and FARES for critical logistics, 3D Lidar Scaning, water systems, wilderness park  camps and strategic support; FundaEco ­ one of the best Environmental NGOs in Guatemala; the U.S. Department of Interior – International Division, CECON, University of San Carlos, Community Tourism Cooperatives, INGUAT, and many others.

Critical donors for the Mirador National Park Rangers and Community Ecoguard for the  2017­2018 program include Swift Impact Fund, March Conservation Fund, the Johnson Family Foundation, Erik and Edith Bergstrom Family Foundation and Rainforest Trust.

Mirador National. Park Progress Report 2017 – June 2018

Mirador Rangers expanded patrol areas by three times now covering 40 ancient Maya cities and over  300,000 hectares in and around Mirador National Park.

Mirador 3D LiDAR Survey is scanning in high­resolution the entire Mirador National Park and buffer zone  uncovering over 40,000 monuments in 12 major ancient Maya cities.

Results of 3D LiDAR surveys are providing deep insight into the structure of Maya civilization and its  architecture and city planning.

Above: Using a $12 million 3D LiDAR scanner. Below: Mayan Causeway connecting major cities of  Mirador.

Mirador Rangers on patrol. ATVs in running order are critical to patrolling thousands of kilomters in deep  forests. The maintenance budget is relatively high in these conditions.

Francisco Asturius, Director Mirador and FundaEco.

On patrol with the Mexican Rangers from Calakmul at the border.