The Ya'axché Conservation Trust

As promised, it's time for the weekly post in the Blog. What to say? The first week in a new job is always hectic: meeting your workmates and getting to know them, getting used to the new place, explore it, buy necessary stuff, the Friday volleyball against a generally friendly NGO (not that friendly during the match)... and sinking in the mountain of documents you have to get familiar and proficient week.

So, let's introduce you to the Ya'axché Conservation Trust (don't ask me how to pronounce Ya'axché, I'm still mastering it), the NGO I'm working with. Ya'axché was founded in 1997 by a number of local stakeholders concerned about the excessive demographical growth in the area, that was leading to an unsustainable use of their natural resources and a retreat of the forest. They were committed to the preservation of the Golden Stream Forest, the last remains of forest connecting the vas extensions of forest  in the Maya Mountains and the less extended coastal forests. A migratory route used by jaguars, tapirs, peccaries, birds and other animals to move between this two areas according to the seasons.

With time, a lot of hard work and effort, Ya'axché has growth to own the Goldem Stream Corridor Preserve, to co-manage with the Government the Bladen National Park and collaborate with many other organizations of the area, as well as being one of the leading local NGOs of the country.

Ya'axché works in an area known as the Maya Golden Landscape, which ranges from the Maya Mountains to the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, and works in many different levels: environmental education in the local communities, lobbying in the political level, patrolling of the forest, biodiversity monitoring... interesting? I think so!

The Maya Golden Landscape and surroundings.