Strengthening Governance in the Maya Biosphere Reserve

This project strengthens governance in the MBR by supporting field patrols and judicial processes to ensure enforcement of laws and prosecution of offenders, enhancing public and civil society participation in governance, investing in tourism development, and protecting the region’s archaeological heritage.

The U.S Department of the Interior’s International Technical Assistance Program (DOI‐ITAP) is providing technical assistance to the GOG to strengthen governance of the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), the largest protected area in Central America. Created in 1990, the MBR is impacted by growing criminal activities that severely threaten the reserve’s natural and cultural resources, as well as its economic potential. Crimes, such as drug trafficking, illegal logging, human-caused wildfires, illegal roads and human settlements, wildlife trafficking, and archaeological looting continue to challenge Guatemala’s governance and law enforcement capabilities. DOI and its in-country implementing partners are strengthening judicial processes to ensure enforcement of laws and prosecution of offenders, strengthening field patrols, enhancing public and civil society participation in governance of the reserve, investing in tourism development, and protecting the region’s archaeological heritage.