Una visión para el futuro, una agenda para hoy - Eco-Index

Opportunities in the MayaForest: Quality of Life thatDepends on NatureEconomic development and the population’s qualityof life depend on the diversity and natural wealth ofthe Maya Forest. Conservation is thus vital to improvesocioeconomic conditions in this region and to bufferthe impacts of natural disasters.Cultural and beach tourism, forestry development andthe production of water – essential activities for theregion’s economic development – depend onpreserving the forest cover, the savannas, thewetlands, the beaches, rivers and ponds of the zone.After the oil industry, tourism is the most importanteconomic activity in the region, generating more thanUS$ 5 billion a year in the Maya Forest alone. Around18 million national and foreign tourists visited this toptourism zone in 2004, attracted by Caribbean beachesand reefs (Belize and Quintana Roo), Mayan cities(Tikal, Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, Tulúm, Palenque and othersites) and modern-day cities (Cancun, Merida andVeracruz).The economic contribution of tourism isunderscored in the state of Quintana Roo, where6.7 million foreign tourists spend nearly US$ 3.28million in 2004. To this must be added revenuesfrom the 4.1 national tourists who also visited theMayan Riviera that year. In Belize, meanwhile, 200thousand visitors generated US$1.56 million,which represented 30% of the country’s foreignearnings. In Guatemala more than 120,000tourists visit Tikal National Park each year.Selva Maya also offers important opportunities inthe area of forestry. Mesoamerica’s largestcertified forest concessions are located in theGuatemalan Petén, and the large forest ejidos inMexico demonstrate how sound forestmanagement can benefit owners and conservebiodiversity. In the Maya Biosphere Reserve, inGuatemala, there are more than 500,000hectares of forest in the multiple-use area undercommunity and industrial concession. Of these,350,000 hectares have been certified by theForest Stewardship Council (FSC).Environmental services such as water, carbonsequestration, reduction of vulnerability toenvironmental phenomenon, scenic beauty andothers are part of the benefits provided by theMaya Forest. This region generates one-third ofMexico’s water supply for human, agricultural andenergy consumption, making this a highlystrategic area for the country. In the YucatanPeninsula, forests and wetlands are critical andessential for regulating water cycles. The locationof the Caribbean coasts of Mexico and Belizemakes them vulnerable to the impacts of stormsand hurricanes, with huge costs to the local andregional economy. Coastal wetland cover helpsbuffer the damaging effect of theseenvironmental phenomenon.Given all of these socioeconomic benefits, there isno doubt that the tourism industry, the forestryindustry, providers and users of water and othersconstitute strong allies for the conservation ofbiodiversity.9