Our Reforestation
Rendered Significant Results
With a minimum investment
a direct targeted
program permitted the
Guatemala Military to gain experience as participants in a Save the
Forest Project. Direct targeted programs address felt
needs. They are capable of producing
resolute co-leaders and followers, without trampling on the rights of
others and in this case became a useful vehicle for helping opposing
forces to work together following the 1996 Peace Accords. Working
informally a foreigner helped the opposing forces to be team players
with the end result being a self sustaining project.
Pictured below are seedlings which had been
germinated by BJ
Institute professionals. Techniques for grooming the tree
seedlings had been underway from 1995 through
2001. Germination of the Zericotte seeds requires an extra long warm
period
and follow on care of the seedlings and the trees. Beautiful growths
result. From this work, we know growing one tree has a thousand-to-one
payoff probability, an economic asset highly needed by the Guatemalan
society.
Here
military personnel take instructions on how to set seedlings so their
roots
would grow straight down and receive the most water during critical
formative
months of each tree’s life. An immense number of man-months of
work were contributed.
This showed the military personnel they could play useful roles in Guatemala’s rebuilding process.
Seedlings for the
Reforestation Project: Summer-Fall 2000
Logistical achievements required daily
organization. Due diligence had to be used for BJ
Institute personnel to
achieve these feats. BJ
Institute personnel asked Petén
Governor Adán Regalado and
San
José City Mayor Julian Tesucun to foster these efforts by giving
the approval to proceed. Outside investors helped by underwriting expenses. The
Zona
21 Commandant of the Guatemala Military joined the project anticipating
his personnel would be favorably received by the Sayaxche
indigenous
repatriated and resettled
after the 36-year
Civil War. This adhered with the 1996 Peace Accords.
Census data does not tell us what portion of returning Sayaxche
indigenous people were
actually being monitored by the United Nations as per the 1996 Peace
Accords. At
this event pictured to the left below, Terrisita Casanova, the Melchor
Mencos Mayor next door
to the Camp met with Chiefs of the National Civil Police (PNC), Kaibil
Soldiers
from La Polvora Military Camp,
and Captain Cohjonc then in charge of civilian affairs as they related
to the
Military. This reforestation program was inaugurated about the time
Hurricane
Mitch hit (November 1998). In fact, the rains from that storm helped
the
seedlings take root and survive until today. Needless to say the
Military, which had been criticized
from all sides gained a positive new image, showing what they could do in Guatemala’s future. This
historic Reforestation Project was bootstrapped and undertaken
with no funds.
Guatemala
military
personnel could put forth almost unlimited hours of labor on
preparing the
turf, digging
holes for seedlings, and planting the seedlings. Little by little from
1997 to 2001, this input
to this Rain Forest Project made the Military look good and helped
change its image. In 2004, we are pleased to report the Military was
invited to participate in the
Save the Laguna Del Tigre efforts in 2004 as noted below. But,
Guatemala's Executive Secretary for the National Advisor on Protected
Areas - Ana Luisa Noguera is deeply worried about the grave forestry
losses. As CONAP Secretary, she said on 29 May 2005 that "No one
enforces the Maya Biosphere Reserve as intended by the 1996 Peace
Accords. After the 2003 elections, immense losses have occurred."
Vinicio Montero, the Petén CONAP Regional Director blames the
problems referred to by Secretary Noguera on "Citizens who burn the
forest or settle within the bounds of the Biosphere Reserves and on
drug traffickers intent on hiding. Many settlers within the protected
areas farm, cut lumber and rob precious fauna found there."
To the left you see
three agencies were recognized as
leaders supporting the “Save Laguna del Tigre Park
initiative”: The
Wildlife Protection Service (SEPRONA), the Guatemala Military and
Natural Resources Guards (CONAP) Foto
Prensa Libre: Rigoberto Escobar (5-10-04
Projects undertaken by BJ Institute, the
Military, local citizens and outside investors gave Petén
Governor Regalado pleasure as it allowed local citizens to
see how the 1996 Peace
Accord functioned in Petén. He was even more pleased to see
private investors return to his
Office to consummate their investments. Moreover, it brought attention
to forested lands outside the Maya Biosphere Reserve. At La Zona Militar No. 23,
the military believed relations with
citizens in Petén had reached a new plateau all
without having to pay for it. Working with the model BJ Institute
forestry
project, its personnel felt good as they got ego-involved in reforestry tasks, earned new reputations
and positive returns evolved on a social basis right up through November 6,
2000.
Suddenly
November 6, 2000, Mr. Bruce was faced with the
“vote of troubled residents of New San Jose.” By their
actions, the citizens took
aim at work by BJ Institute. But they disrupted the good will of the Guatemala
military, foreign investors and many citizens who had been given a
chance to hold new jobs.
In
2003 and 2004, the
Guatemala government, including the military, showed they benefited
from their experience with the Model Reforestation Project. They were
invited in February 2004 to take part in the Laguna del Tigre reforestry
program, a sector of the
Maya Biosphere Reserve in Northwest Guatemala.
The
Maya Biosphere Reserve is found in Petén,
Guatemala. The Las Guacamayas
Biological Field
Station lies within the buffer zone of the 1.6 million Hectare Maya
Biosphere reserve in Petén’s northern region. The Biosphere Reserve
includes five national parks, three biotopes and a
multiple-use area – Laguna del Tigre and Tikal. In accord with the agreements set forth
by the United Nations peace monitoring accord, cutting is controlled to
keep properties found in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.