Voice of America News Stories

Voz de América (Voice of America) recently did a series of video segments about projects in Guatemala funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Central America Program. We've embedded the videos below and have also included descriptions for each of the projects that are featured. They also posted a photo gallery. 

Reducing the expansion of the agricultural frontier in the coniferous and broadleaf forests of the Chiquibul Mayan Mountains landscape, by supporting Guatemala-Belize bi-national cooperation. In partnership with Asociación Balam. The purpose of this project is to reduce agricultural encroachment on broadleaf forest ecosystems of the Maya Mountains Chiquibul in Guatemala by: 1) identifying areas of greatest pressure on the landscape; 2) developing sustainable livelihood pilot projects in hotspot border communities; 3) working with the Agency for Protected Areas to strengthen monitoring and enforcement actions under the Environmental Security Strategy for the area; and 4) implementing a communications campaign directed at local communities via radio to discourage illegal and unsustainable forest use and wildlife extraction and trade activities.

Increasing law enforcement monitoring capacity for Mesoamerica's most threatened wild places. In partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society. The purpose of this project is to increase law enforcement monitoring capacity, including use of Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), in at least 500,000 hectares of protected areas in Guatemala, Belize and Honduras using the Maya Biosphere Reserve as a demonstration site and strengthening CEMEC/CONAP as a center for regional training on law enforcement monitoring and SMART.

Scaling-up human-jaguar conflict mitigation through jaguar-friendly ranch management techniques in the Maya Biosphere Reserve Buffer Zone and Beyond. In partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society. The purpose of this project is to reduce jaguar mortality and deforestation, locally in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve and regionally by sharing expertise with key actors in Nicaragua’s Bosawas Biosphere Reserve. Project activities include technical education with key actors, including ranchers and farmers, about domestic animal management alternatives that bring long-term economic benefits to their businesses while also reducing and compensating the economic losses associated with jaguar predation.

Voz de América also produced a great wrap-up video for their week of coverage from Guatemala.