You’re not alone if you’re fretting about the state of the environment right now – from heatwaves to wildfires, it seems like a day doesn’t go by without worrying climate-related news. But it’s not all bad. In an age where deforestation is rampant and green spaces are being turned into construction sites, three countries have teamed up to save one of ‘Earth’s lungs’.
A trinational natural corridor
Mexico, Belize and Guatemala have agreed to designate a 14 million-acre area of the Maya Forest as a nature reserve. Named the Biocultural Corridor of the Great Mayan Forest, the protected area will encompass 50 total areas, with 12 in Mexico, 27 in Guatemala and 11 in Belize, protecting sections of the Yucatan Peninsula that have been undisturbed since ancient Mayan times.
If that sounds like a massive chunk of Latin America, that’s because it is. The designation of the new natural corridor means the forest will become the second-largest nature reserve in Latin America, behind only the Amazon.
Safeguarding the natural habitats of some 7,000 species
Some 7,000 species will benefit from the reserve, which will ensure their precious ecosystems are safeguarded against external forces. This includes 200 endangered species such as the jaguar, the scarlet macaw, the tapir, and the quetzal bird.
But it’s not just wildlife that will thrive in the Great Mayan Forest Biocultural Corridor. Indigenous communities will be protected as ‘guardians of nature’ and their traditions will be incorporated into conservation planning.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described the new reserve as ‘historic’, according to Yucatán Magazine, adding: ‘This is one of Earth’s lungs, a living space for thousands of species with an invaluable cultural legacy that we should preserve with our eyes on the future.’
We can most definitely get on board with that.
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