Community-Based Ecotourism in the Maya Forest: Problems and Potentials
by Ruth Norris, J. Scott Wilber, and Luís Oswaldo Morales Marín
Excerpted with permission of the publisher from Timber, Tourists and Temples:
Conservation and Development in the Maya Forest of Belize, Guatemala and
Mexico, available from Island Press (http://www.islandpress.org). This is a
lengthy article that can be found on the Eco Travels in Latin America website:
The Maya Forest is the largest block of humid, subtropical forest remaining in
Central America. Rich in both natural and cultural resources, it is nonetheless
no different from any other large natural area in the tropics in one respect:
considerable pressures exist from both local people and outside economic
interests to exploit the region's natural wealth. Poorly controlled,
unsustainable use of the natural resource base, especially the extraction of
mahogany and cedar, has done much to degrade the standing forest. With its
perceived value diminished, the forest has been viewed as nothing more than a
hindrance to agriculture and ranching that completes its conversion.
Slash-and-burn agriculture and unsustainable extraction of forest products are
two of the few meansof survival for many of the region's residents. Pressure on
forest areas is compounded by an ongoing influx of people from other parts of
Central America into the region looking for land and opportunities that the
natural resource base may offer. The lack of economic alternatives and
insufficient support for basic human needs, such as in health and education,
contribute to the instability of the lives of the inhabitants of the region.
Under this situation, many residents have no time to consider the long-term use
of their natural resources when they have to use them immediately to ensure
their daily survival.
The entire article can be found online
http://www2.planeta.com/mader/planeta/0598/0598mayaforest.html
The book can be ordered at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1559635428/ecotravelsinlatiA/
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