Plan Maestro 2008-2012: Áreas Protegidas del Suroeste de Petén, Guatemala

This strategic plan is applicable to six protected areas of differing types (three archaeological parks, two wildlife refuges and a biological reserve) located in the south-west of Petén (Guatamala), a territorio hosting an outstanding archaeological heritage from the Maya civilization.

The strategic plan should be designed to manage in a harmonious fashion local natural and cultural resources, local communities and all groups and people working in conservation and protection as a means towards promoting the economy, ecology and historical memory of the region. The drawing up of this strategic plan was based on the methodology of conservation area planning developed by The Nature Conservancy. First of all, the natural and tangible and intangible cultural elements that needed to be conserved in the area in question were identified. Then, the threats to these elements, as well as the possibilities and management strategies that could be employed were established. These strategies were then prioritised in terms of conservation benefits, their potential and their cost. From these strategies six action programmes were developed: Programme for Protection and Vigilance, Programme for the Conservation of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas, Programme for the Conservation of the Archaeological Heritage, Programme for Sustainable Development, Programme for Public Use and a Management Programme. Finally, the plan includes a time-line for each strategy and a financial budget for its implementation, as well as a number of indicators that will measure the viability of conservation strategies, to what extent the threats to each element have been reduced and the effectiveness of the strategies applied in the protected areas of this region of Guatemala.