Journeys in Conservation

The 5 million acres of northern Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve along with adjacent reserves in Mexico and Belize comprise the Selva Maya, the largest tropical forest in the Americas outside of the Amazon. The Maya Biosphere Reserve’s highly diverse ecosystems also harbor one of Guatemala’s most remarkable attractions, Tikal National Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site’s namesake Tikal Mayan Ruins are among the most impressive ancient ruins complexes in the world and are set amid expansive primary growth rainforest, home to threatened wildlife including jaguar, Baird’s tapir, scarlet macaw, Morelet’s crocodile, white-lipped peccary, among others. The seemingly endless view of forest canopy and ancient pyramids seen from the top of Tikal’s Temple IV is so otherworldly that in 1977 George Lucas’s Star Wars camera crew summited its peak to film scenes of Planet Yavin 4 featured in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.

Unfortunately, the Maya Biosphere Reserve is suffering dramatic forest loss. The edge of the reserve, called the Buffer Zone, averages over 5% deforestation per year. Though the Reserve is protected in name, the Guatemalan National Council for Protected Areas which administers the Reserve lacks the funding and resources for protection enforcement. 

This deforestation and environmental degradation is largely attributed to 7-10% annual regional population growth and the unplanned human settlements and activities that support this population such as subsistence farming (slash-and-burn agriculture), cattle ranching, and hunting-and-gathering activities as well as industrial threats such as land clearing for palm oil plantations, timber collection, and mining.

Below is a map of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, demonstrating the deforestation within the Reserve from 2000-2015. Red marks a forest fire. Nearly all fires were man-made and used for agriculture/land development.

Journeys in Conservation empowers Guatemalan activists and conservationists to lead their communities to a healthier future in which deforestation and extreme malnutrition are things of the past — and regenerative agriculture and sustainable land management are the norm. JIC accepts conservation and regenerative agriculture project proposals from locals who seek agroforestry training, technical support, business advisory, and financial support. Through the application process of interviews and site visits, JIC accepts projects on the basis of the proposed goals, leadership team, and the project’s short and longterm potential to end deforestation and alleviate malnutrition in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Journeys in Conservation’s mission is that each project be self-sufficient within 3 years of our initial involvement.

Projects :

Cattle ranching and slash-and-burn agriculture cause the majority of the reserve’s deforestation. Since April 2019, we’ve helped local Guatemalans create programs and three youth groups to change that.

• Finca Experimental Chéel, Model Regenerative Livestock Farm – the energetic García family owns and runs this integrated family farm, providing on-site farmer workshops to demonstrate and promote chickens under agroforestry, sustainable free-range milk production, and other regenerative techniques. This farm raises 500 egg laying chickens under fruit trees, hardwood trees, and the very fodder trees that feed them. Using fodder trees, rotational grazing, and other common sense efficient farming, Finca Cheel has 3 times the density of cows per acre organically compared to the average farm in the region which clearcuts its trees. If all ranchers in the Maya Biosphere Reserve adopted these techniques, over half a million acres of degraded pastures could be returned to forest. They also accept short and longterm volunteers and graduate students from around the world. Some volunteers have even been able to patrol the Maya Biosphere’s deep jungle with government park rangers who work as our partners.

• Proyecto Ecológico Sol y Verde, Permaculture Education Institute and Reforestation Center – fights malnutrition and deforestation by teaching farming families and children how to farm sustainably with the forests as opposed to clear cutting for monocultures which render the land infertile in 3-5 years. Through interactive farm tours visitors learn about forest management, crops that grow in the shade (cacao, vanilla, ginger, turmeric, heart of palm), and how to organically maximize crop productivity and diversity using the unique natural characteristics of their farmland. The project donates thousands of seeds and trees every year to help farmers reforest for the long term while growing fast crops for the short and medium term. They also accept short and longterm volunteers and graduate students from around the world.

• Proyecto Ecológico Chunyá (Cruce Dos Aguadas), Community Conservation and Youth Council – located in the most critically important area of the entire Maya Biosphere, this group of young conservationists has led their community in a 2 hectare public reforestation with over 700 native fruit and hardwood trees. They secured the permanent protection of the last primary forest in their community. This forest is site of one of the last sources of drinking water for over 4000 people and it is home to endangered Guatemalan Black Howler Monkeys. The 5 member youth council organizes our largest youth group of 50 village kids who take an active role in the wellbeing of their community and its environment.

Other Programs by Journeys in Conservation

• Fuel-conserving Cookstove Construction – conservation stoves reduce a family’s firewood consumption by half and decrease smoke inhalation by over 90%. The #1 cause of death in Guatemala is respiratory infection largely due to the open fires people cook over every day. With efficient stoves and chimneys, we reduce deforestation and save lives. JIC has installed these stoves for 15 families since October 2019, benefiting 75 people in 3 villages
• Youth Groups – You can support kids in need who are taking active steps to improve their lives and the wellbeing of their communities. JIC sponsors environmental education and leadership training for over 100 children in the villages of El Remate, Peten and Cruce Dos Aguadas, Peten. Finca Experimental Chéel manages the Youth Group “Los Jaguares” and Proyecto Ecológico Sol y Verde manages the Youth Group “Los Cocodrilos,” and Proyecto Ecológico Chunyá runs the Youth Group “Los Tapires”. To donate to our youth groups, please go to our To Donate page and click the Donate button.

The concept for Journeys in Conservation was originally developed in 2014 by its founder and director, Andrew Puente, while he guided international tours through Central America and Southern Mexico. Having grown up with a passion for wildlife and nature, he took note of local environmental problems through his travels — Central America claims one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. He also could not ignore the poverty facing many communities he worked with and how problems such as slash-and-burn agriculture, over-harvesting of resources, littering, and poor sanitation often resulted from substandard education and insufficient capacity support for communities.

Having participated in a group service trip to Nicaragua organized through his high school in 2008, Andrew experienced firsthand how international volunteers can impact the lives of families and communities in need. Little did he know, this trip was going to change his life forever. The following year, he and his brother spent three months volunteering in a handicapped children’s clinic in Cusco, Peru while studying to improve their Spanish language skills.

In 2011, Andrew and his childhood best friend studied abroad in Panama City, Panama for two months, subsequently traveling through every Central American country. This was the first time Andrew visited Guatemala. With its Mayan roots, historic colonial towns, stunning landscapes, mysterious ancient temples, massive nature reserves, and abundant wildlife, Andrew was enamored while also worried by the poverty and environmental degradation he witnessed. He vowed to return with help.