Motagua/Polochic System. Guatemala. Header

 

Portrait of senior basket makers in Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve. © Peg Kohring/TNC

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Landscape view of the forest in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve. © Peg Kohring/TNC

The Nature Conservancy and a partner organization, Defensores de La Naturaleza, are working to protect the internationally recognized Motagua/Polochic System. The Motagua/Polochic System encompasses the Bocas del Polochic watershed and includes the Bocas del Polochic Wildlife Refuge, Sierra de Las Minas Biosphere Reserve and the Motagua Valley Thorn Scrub.

The Bocas del Polochic Wildlife Refuge, located in the Polochic river valley, was recognized as an internationally important wetlands system by the RAMSAR convention. UNESCO recognized Sierra de Las Minas National Park as one of the most biologically diverse mountain ranges in Central America by naming it a Biosphere Reserve in 1993. The Motagua Valley Thorn Shrub is one of Central America's driest ecosystems.

Location

The Motagua/Polochic System covers an area of more than one million acres (440,000 hectares) and is located in the northeast section of Guatemala. The topography of the Motagua/Polochic System is defined by the Motagua geological fault to the south, the Polochic fault to the north and the Izabal depression, which have created altitudinal ranges from 0 to 10,000 feet.

Animals

The Motagua/Polochic is home to more than 375 species of mammals, 140 species of reptiles and 53 species of endemic fish, among them:

Over 400 bird species are also found here, including the resplendent quetzal, the harpy eagle and the peregrine falcon. The Motagua/Polochic system is a significant flyway and wintering spot for North-American migrants.

Plants

The Motagua/Polochic System contains 17 species of tropical conifers and 24 species of aquatic plants. The Motagua Valley Thorn Scrub contains endemic and threatened species such as the ironwood tree, several species of cacti and a bromeliad called Tillandsia xerographica. In the Sierra de Las Minas region, conifers, oaks, and diverse populations of flowering plants coexist with mosses, ferns and epiphytes. The lowland region of Bocas del Polochic is characterized by mangroves and marshlands.

Why the Conservancy Works Here

  • According to Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean (WWF and World Bank, 1995), the Motagua/Polochic represents 6 of 14 life zones found in Guatemala and three ecoregions: Atlantic Humid Forest, Central America Dry Pine-Oak Forest, and the Motagua Valley Thorn Scrub. Furthermore, the flora and fauna of the system contains close to 80% of all of the species reported for Guatemala and Belize. 
     
  • The threats to Motagua /Polochic include deforestation, slash-and-burn agricultural practices, illegal hunting, ranching, and colonization. In addition, the Motagua Valley Thorn Scrub ecoregion is not part of the protected areas system and thus is even more susceptible to human intervention.

What the Conservancy Is Doing

  • The Nature Conservancy helped its Guatemalan partner Defensores de la Naturaleza hire park rangers, eliminate 16 logging operations and organize volunteer brigades to halt forest fires in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve in the highlands. Defensores manages the reserve, which contains the largest cloud forest in Central America.
     
  • The Nature Conservancy, Defensores de la Naturaleza and local communities completed a Site Conservation Plan in 2000 for the northern slopes of Sierra de las Minas and Bocas del Polochic. By identifying the threats, sources of threats, key stakeholders, and identifying conservation strategies, the plan helps guide conservation efforts in this sector of the Motagua/Polochic System.
     
  • The Conservancy helped Defensores purchase 3,300 acres in the core zone of Sierra de las Minas from the Vega Larga community. The community voluntarily agreed to swap the land for a 1,350-acre farmable piece of land where Defensores and government partners built new houses for 32 families, as well as a new school, church and drinking-water system.
     
  • Four U.S. chapters of the Conservancy are collaborating with the Guatemala Program and local partners to strengthen their conservation efforts. The Eastern New York Chapter, for example, is helping Defensores protect a migratory bird corridor between Sierra del Las Minas and Bocas del Polochic.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Landscape view of the forest in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve. © Peg Kohring/TNC; Portrait of senior basket makers in Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve. © Peg Kohring/TNC; Royal Tern, Morro Strand State Beach, California, USA. Photo © Mike Baird (Creative Commons); Puffin. © Michael McBride; Cotton-top tamarin. © Diego Ochoa/TNC.