Vice President Alfonso Fuentes Soria was in Paris at the UN Convention on Climate Change (COP21) this week and proposed that Mirador National Park be declared as a Mixed Natural and Cultural UNESCO World Heritage site.
This proposed designation by the Guatemalan government is derived from its global value to mankind for its priceless cultural and natural patrimony.
Mirador, located in the north of Peten, is the first proposal for UNESCO World Heritage from Guatemala since 2002. Nearby Tikal National Park in Guatemala and Calakmul in Mexico already have this designation.
The Guatemalan government met with UNESCO Director General Ms. Irina Bokova who expressed interest to open a file to declare Mirador a Mixed Cultural and Natural World Heritage.
Mirador is one of the oldest and largest ancient Maya cities located in Peten, northern Guatemala.
Facing imminent destruction from fires, lotting and illegal activities, new strategies are being proposed to sustainably develop the natural and archaeological resources of Mirador into a highly visited destination and generate reliable income and employment for local communities as park rangers, eco-guards and visitor guides.
Morgan Freeman recently visited Mirador and called it "the first wonder of the world."
Darien National Park is one of the most important World Heritage Sites in Central America. Last year, Global Conservation launched Global Park Defense to combat illegal activities within Darien National Park and protect its inhabitants and surrounding communities.
read moreThe Global Conservation Central America team has just kicked off a new GC Project with the Naso People of Panama to protect La Amistad International Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Working with both the government’s park authorities and a new 60-person Indigenous Protection Force, Global Conservation will deploy Global Park Defense to protect over 400,000 acres of intact, pristine and highly biodiverse forests and wildlife habitats.
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