Managing
the Contiguous Parks at El Pilar, Belize and Guatemala Introduction:
Beneath the lush canopy of the Maya forest, the Maya Center of El Pilar
prospered for 1,500 years, reaching its zenith around the year 900. Over
the course of centuries, since as early as 250 B.C., the flourishing center
gradually grew to become the primary administrative center in the Belize
River area, replete with sweeping plazas and temples.
As the Maya at El Pilar evolved, so did the forest that sustained them.
To meet the needs of their growing population, Maya households cultivated
the forest’s abundance of plant life that is suited for human use.
Indeed, current research shows that today up to 90% of the forest’s
botanicals are useful to humans. Cultivating these resources, the ancient
Maya supported a population that exceeded today’s figures. Studies
reveal that the population density 11 centuries ago, during the Maya Classic
Period, was from three to nine-times the region’s current level.
Today, the Maya forest stands as an enduring monument to the resourcefulness
of the Maya.While it withstood millennia of Maya occupation, today the
Maya forest is at risk. Contemporary agricultural strategies, population
movements, and human development schemes that lack environmental consideration
now threaten the rich, biodiverse forest that the Maya cultivated a millennium
ago. Today, the Maya forest is ranked second of 25 resources at risk by
Population International (2000). Contemporary lines cut the landscape.
New roads slice through the forest, paving the way for human migration
into wilderness frontier, and political boundaries overlay ancient monuments.
The forest around El Pilar stretches before the eye unbroken, yet the
international border between Belize and Guatemala invisibly divides El
Pilar’s monuments between the two nations. Furthermore, the ancient
Maya monuments themselves are at risk without formal protection –
threatened by looters and destructive methods of exposure. In order to
formally protect the natural and cultural resources at El Pilar, a path
of conservation was embarked upon nearly ten years ago. The El Pilar Reserve
for Maya Flora and Fauna in Belize and the protected Monumento Cultual
El Pilar in Guatemala were established to protect the shared resources
at El Pilar. Along with research and education on ancient Maya land-use,
the innovative, cross-border, participatory management planning process
designed by the El Pilar Program promises to build a lasting and effective
base for the conservation of the Maya Forest.
TOWARDS FORMAL
PROTECTION
In 1992, Anabel Ford, an archaeologist from the University of California
Santa Barbara (UCSB) began meeting with government officials in Belize
to spread her vision for the Maya forest: a protected reserve at the little-known
Maya center of El Pilar. Ford had a history at the site. She had made
her first visit to El Pilar with John Morris and Jaime Awe of the Belize
Department of Archaeology (DoA) in 1982. By that time, the site had already
been officially recorded in the DoA. But, El Pilar’s true size remained
unknown - and promised to be significant. As director of UCSB’s BRASS
project (Belize River Archaeological Settlement Survey), Ford was interested
in investigating Maya settlement patterns. Ford incorporated the El Pilar
site into the BRASS project and began the initial survey and map of the
site in 1984. During the following years, visits to El Pilar became more
frequent as work at the site gained momentum. In 1992, Cayo Area Representative
Daniel Silva, along with Department of Archaeology, contracted a team
of local workers under the direction of Ford to clear El Pilar’s
main plazas, opening them to the view of the general public for the first
time. With the full support of the Belize Government, Ford planned a full-scale
investigation at El Pilar during the 1993 field season. The BRASS/El Pilar
Program was set in motion. During these initial years of investigation
at El Pilar, it had become apparent that the site needed formal protection.
In Belize, lands were periodically cleared of high bush for farming and
in Guatemala trees were being illegally logged. Furthermore, the DoA could
do little to stop looters without establishing full-time surveillance
at the site. Numerous illegal excavations had damaged the ancient monuments
at El Pilar, threatening their structural integrity. As a protective measure,
the BRASS/El Pilar program provided funds for a local caretaker, Teo Williams,
at the site in 1992. Meanwhile, proposals for reserve boundaries had been
submitted and circulated within Belize Ministries. Two sets of boundaries
were submitted for the consideration of the government. One set of proposed
boundaries delineated an area a kilometer and 1/2 around the El Pilar
site; another covered 3x3 kilometers, or roughly 2000 hectares of land.
The DoA moved ahead with the latter. As the El Pilar program worked toward
the official establishment of these boundaries, a network of alliances
and collaborators evolved that reflected the growth of the El Pilar vision,
now posed to touch two nations and upwards of 60,000 locals in zones adjacent
to the reserve.
An Expaning Network
From the outset, Ford was concerned that the development at El Pilar translates
into real opportunities for the local village of Bullet Tree Falls and
surrounding communities. Convinced that local stewardship is key to effective
conservation efforts in the Maya forest, Ford consulted the community
regarding the creation of a local organization related to the development
of El Pilar as a protected reserve. In 1993, a broad-based community organization
called Amigos de El Pilar (AdEP) formed to advocate the conservation efforts
at El Pilar, sustainable development in the community, and local education
geared towards the conservation of cultural and natural resources.An expanding
network of collaborators connected AdEP and the El Pilar Program to the
tourist world. In 1994, Godsman Ellis, president of the Cayo Belize Tourism
Industry Association, approached Ford about joining forces with AdEP and
BRASS/El Pilar in a collaborative project that would bring El Pilar into
the growing fold of eco-tourism with funds from the Natural Resource Protection
Program, under USAID. With the NARMAP resources and matching funds from
the BRASS/El Pilar Program, the Ford’s research endeavor at El Pilar
grew into a much larger undertaking that required collaboration non-governmental
agencies NGO’s within and outside of Belize and with government agencies
such as the Department of Lands, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and
ultimately the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Guatemala was drawn into
the El Pilar vision.Funds were directed towards a number of initiatives
that materialized over the following years. In 1994, the Belize government
guaranteed that permanent funds be allotted for the maintenance of a caretaker
at El Pilar. This was the first official step toward the protection of
the site, and came along with other developments. The El Pilar Program
continued to provide for two over caretakers to maintain the grounds,
and began the construction of a caretaker’s facility that would ensure
full-time surveillance of the site. With the Amigos de El Pilar, the BRASS/El
Pilar Program created a network of trails that incorporated the site’s
various ecological zones and Maya monuments, providing the infrastructure
to attract visitors to the region as tourists began to hear of El Pilar’s
charms and make their way to the site.At the start of 1994, an impressive
delegation of government officials visited El Pilar through the Ministry
of Natural Resources in order to assess the lands situation an the establishment
of reserve boundaries. Now working more closely with ministry officials
such as Linsay Belinge, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of natural
Resources, and also Dr. Victor Gonzales, the PS of the Ministry of Tourism
and the Environment, it became clear that the government strongly supported
the establishment of a reserve. With ministry officials, it was decided
that the park should be an Archaeological Reserve, under the administration
of the DOA, to avoid the bureaucratic complexity of creating both an archaeological
and a natural reserve that would have spanned multiple ministries. Though
El Pilar would officially be an archaeological reserve, a name was chosen
that incorporated the environmental emphasis of the reserve - the El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna. At the end of the 1994
field season, a lands survey was commenced to determine the official boundaries
of the reserve.
As it is presently known, the El Pilar site is divided into three primary
sectors. In Belize, Xaman Pilar (North) and Nohol Pilar (South) are connected
to Pilar Poniente (West) in the Petén of Guatemala via an ancient
causeway that bisects the international border between Belize and Guatemala.
Though the two nations have been historically divided by a contentious
past, the BRASS/El Pilar Program instigated a path of conservation and
research that united the Belize and Guatemala around the protection and
management of El Pilar.Conservation efforts in Guatemala began in May
1994 at a Mayafor USAID meeting on community development. Archie Carr
III arranged for the participation of Ford, who made a presentation on
the initial progress of the fledgling community organization, AdEP. The
presentation introduced Guatemala circles to The BRASS/El Pilar Program’s
vision for community inclusive management of shared resources at El Pilar.
During that trip, Ford also met with the head of Prehispanic Monuments
at IDAEH (Instituto de Anthropologia e Historia), Erik Ponsiano, to introduce
him to the work at El Pilar and to ask permission to map Pilar Poniente.
Ponsiano agreed to the mapping and was enthusiastic about the possibility
of a contiguous reserve. No time was lost in the mapping of Pilar Poniente.
Guatemalan archaeologist Miguel Orrego and José Sanchez of CONAP
spent a week mapping the area and submitted an initial report to IDAEH
and Consejo Technico de Arqueologia by July. In September 1994, Ford was
invited to meet with the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture to present her
vision of a contiguous reserve at El Pilar. By 1995, El Pilar was established
as a paper park in Guatemala and the official boundaries of the El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna were established in Belize.
Parallel Paths of Conservation in the Maya Forest
Connecting Communities to Conservation
To bring together representatives from Belize and Guatemala to discuss
the future of the El Pilar and outline preliminary and strategic plans
for the reserve in Belize and Guatemala, the BRASS/ El Pilar Program organized
a binational workshop called the “Encuentro El Pilar.” Sponsored
by the Comission Centroamericana de Ambiente y Dessarollo (CCAD), directed
by Jorge Cabrerra, representatives from Guatemala included Juan Antonio
Valdes, director of IDAEH, and Erik Ponciano of Monumentos Prehispanicos.
José Anotonio Montes from the Institute for Environmental Rights
and Sustainable Development also attended. Montes would later become an
important component of the EL Pilar Program. Represetnatives form Belize
included the Commissioner of Archaeology, Brian Woodeye, representatives
from Forestry, and the Minitsry of Tourism and the Environment, Natural
Resources, and the Amigos de El Pilar. All participants had the opportunity
to visit El Pilar to assess its possibilities.The Encuentro El Pilar led
to solid commitments on the part of Belize and Guatemala. Participants
outlined short and long-term steps towards formal protection of El Pilar.
Representatives from Guatemala developed a strict timetable for the establishment
of a Cultural Monument at Pilar Poniente, which falls in the Maya Biosphere
Reserve in Guatemala’s Petén. The Government of Belize committed
sign into law the Statutory Instrument making El Pilar a legal national
reserve and pledged continuing support to the El Pilar Program, directed
by Ford. Jointly, participants agreed to develop parallel management schemes
for the administration of El Pilar, delegating management to include local
communities. The Encuentro El Pilar set the stage for the Mesa Redonda
El Pilar, held in Mexico City in 1997. With funds from the Ford and the
Macarthur Foundations, the El Pilar Project organized the Mesa Redonda,
bringing together 28 professionals from Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and
the United States representing archaeology, ecology, law, and the government
to develop a vision for the future management of the contiguous reserves
at El Pilar. The Mesa Redonda’s end result was a comprehensive set
of values and guidelines to shape the focus of development at El Pilar.
The innovative plan devised by experts at the Mesa Redonda recognizes
that a critical component for the preservation of cultural and natural
resources is the incorporation of local communities in management design
and implementation. Indeed, local communities represent the ultimate stewards
of natural and cultural resources. The Maya Forest will not be effectively
protected until communities are incorporated in conservation efforts.
At El Pilar, communities have shown that they play an important role as
guardians of the forest. When a group of displaced farmers threatened
to burn land in the reserve in 1996, AdEP gathered the signatures of over
100 community members who sought the protection of El Pilar. AdEP then
went to the capitol to meet with government leaders and vent their concerns.
Through this effort, and the subsequent action of the DoA, the government
acted to stop the destruction of the reserve. In this case, the community
acted as a watchdog and government advocate to ensure that national regulations
be enforced at El Pilar.Apart from recognizing the need for local stewards,
participants of the Mesa Redonda also noted that the development of El
Pilar as an archaeological reserve would undoubtedly draw tourists to
the area, noting that although Belize had a successful track-record with
tourism, it is still dominated by large hotels, cruise packages, and tour
packages that bypass local villages. John Morris of the DoA emphatically
stated that, “the development of infrastructure for tourism needs
to take priority. Emphasis on small scale enterprises, local arts and
crafts, village and community cooperation can help” [Ford, 1998 #833].The
El Pilar Program and the community organization Amigos de El Pilar are
committed to develop the type of tourist venture that does not overlook
local residents. While participants of the Mesa Redonda stressed that
community–based ecotourism is the most appropriate path of development
for El Pilar, AdEP President Marcos Garcia described the work ahead for
AdEP and the local community in a statement to fellow participants: “People
of the village do not have a clear idea of what ecotourism is all about…we
need to be trained so that the impact of ecotourism will be positive and
not negative. This is one of the alternatives we think should work in
conjunction with Amigos de El Pilar, reaffirming that we have a future
with ecotourism.” (Ford, 1998 #833) To offset these obstacles, the
participants of the Mesa Redonda urged the governments of Belize, Guatemala,
and national and international organizations to work with local communities
to forge a model for cooperative cultural and natural resource management.Through
the initiative of the BRASS/El Pilar Program and AdEP, local communities
are gaining awareness of El Pilar and the opportunities it presents for
local development. AdEP sponsored events such as local workshops, BBQ’s,
an essay contest, and community outreach has effectively integrated locals
into efforts surrounding El Pilar. This significant document recognizes
the importance of surrounding communities as local stewards and those
most impacted by development at El Pilar. The BRASS/El Pilar Program inaugurated
an annual Fiesta El Pilar that highlights local culture, and Maya history,
and draws thousands of visitors to the site every year.To increase the
effectiveness of the El Pilar Program and advance its goals within the
community, Help for Progress (HfP), a Belizean NGO committed to improving
rural life in the Maya Forest, was enlisted by the BRASS/ El Pilar Program
to work with AdEP in 1997. In respect to reserve management, regional
program advocates were formally incorporated into the El Pilar Program.
In Belize, Anselmo Castaneda focuses on local and regional environmental
issues. In Guatemala, Jose Antonio Montes concentrates on legal and political
processes.
The official development of contiguous reserves at El Pilar was the highlight
of the 1998. In Belize, Statutory Instrument #54 of 1998 was signed into
law by the Minister Henry Young of the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment,
officially protecting the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora.
In Guatemala, the Monumento Cultural El Pilar was declared as a protected
area within the Reserva de la Biosfera Maya by Consejo Nacional de Areas
Protegidas (CONAP), the government agency that oversees the Maya Biosphere
Reserve and El Pilar. The cross-border aspect of the El Pilar archaeological
reserves site is unique in the region. With both the governments of Belize
and Guatemala recognizing El Pilar as two contiguous reserves protecting
one cultural resource in two countries, the next step would to develop
a strategy for managing the reserves.To work out this point, The BRASS/
El Pilar Program organized a second Mesa Redonda El Pilar (MRII). Held
in Placencia in 1998, the Mesa Redonda II brought together the a growing
network to further the unique program of research and development at El
Pilar. With reserves officially established on both sides of the border,
the El Pilar Program was now in a position to bring broad goals introduced
by the first Mesa Redonda into a design for concrete action. Participants
drafted a management plan for El Pilar that included short and long-term
goals related to law, community participation, and tourism.A gratifying
number of locals from villages in Belize and Guatemala participated in
the proceedings of the MRII. The clear accord between AdEP and the government
representatives at the MRII was underscored by the latter’s approval
of the community’s role in reserve management planning, a role that
they suggested would be enhanced by university level training aimed at
building local management capacity. Not only was AdEP an effective participant
in the MRII, endorsing the drafted management plan, they relayed the results
of the proceedings to the residents of surrounding communities. The inclusion
of the community – the group that has the greatest stake in the future
of the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve –in the MRII augmented the
viability and the credibility management planning process. The work done
at the MRII continued into 1999.The development of the contiguous reserve,
the remarkable achievement the marked the BRASS/El Pilar program in 1998,
was topped in 1999 by the endorsement of parallel management plans that
were developed at the MRII. The Protected Areas Technical Evaluation Committee
El Pilar (PATEC-EP) was formed and held six meeting to finalize the draft
management plan for El Pilar. The committee reaffirmed the importance
of ensuring that local communities receive direct and long-term benefits
from El Pilar, describing for, “in order to promote the advantages
that can be derived from El Pilar’s location, an alliance has been
formed between the Amigos de El Pilar and the site, the El Pilar Program,
and internationally.” The PATEC committee finalized and endorsed
the innovative management plan, which is the first of its kind for the
DoA and which, “will serve as an example for the many management
plans in archaeology yet to be developed in the region as well as those
within the DoA,” wrote Hon. Mark Espat, Minister of Tourism and Youth.”
[Ford, 2001 #52].A similar finalization process was undertaken in Mexico
that led to CONAP’s endorsement of the management plan. These proceedings
culminated in November 1999 at the “Dia del Sombrero Verde”
workshop in Yaxha. There, governmental and non-governmental agencies from
both Belize and Guatemala drafted a letter of intent for cooperative management
of EL Pilar. This significant document recognizes the importance of surrounding
communities as local stewards and those most impacted by development at
El Pilar.The first two Mesa Redondas produced a comprehensive plan to
guide the management of El Pilar. A third Mesa Redonda El Pilar (MRIII)
was held in June 2000 in Remate, Petén, Guatemala. The objective
of the MRIII was to formalize the institutional arrangements for the administration
of El Pilar in Belize and Guatemala in legal terms. Initiated by the legal
research of Montes and Thomas Ankerson of UF, the MRIII resulted in the
creation of a technical advisory group called the Consultative Council
for El Pilar (CoCEP) to support management entities in both countries
and coordinate research and tourism development and El Pilar.. In June
of the 2001, the first formal meetings of CoCEP convened, and a strategic
plan for El Pilar that unifies the interests enshrined in drafts of both
Belize’s and Guatemala’s management plans was approved (Appendix
I). CoCEP membership is made up of representatives from all key management
structures: AdEP Belize, AdEP Guatemala, Help for Progress, Canaan Kaax,
the DoA, IDEAH, The Belize Department of Forestry, CONAP, Mesoamerican
Biological Corridors, BRASS/El Pilar, INGUAT, and the Belize Tourism Bureau.
The Council promises to secure cooperative management, prepare delegation
agreements and statutory instruments, and to develop a sustainable, long-term
funding base for the operation of the contiguous reserves. CoCEP will
strengthen the participation of communities adjacent to EPAR in their
efforts to promote conservation and responsible management of resources.
CoCEP is the final result of a management process that began in 1992 with
Anabel Ford’s initial consultations with the Government of Belize.
The Mesa Redonda process provided El Pilar with a visionary management
plan. Organizational structures have emerged from the process. Now, with
CoCEP’s establishment, the organizational infrastructure for the
contiguous reserves at El Pilar is operational.This threshold has arrived
at a critical moment. Visitation to El Pilar has increased from 20 to
30 tourists to 3,000 tourists a year, and a considerable increase in tourist
visitations is expected in the near future. We are rapidly approaching
the moment that John Morris warned of at the first Mesa Redonda nearly
5 years ago when large hotels, and arranged tours threaten to overpass
local communities.
Fortunately, at El Pilar the foresight of the government of Belize, non-governmental
organizations, and the BRASS/ El Pilar Program, a true path of community
led conservation has been embraced. To predict the success of the El Pilar
Program design in the future, it is useful look at how far the program
has come in the past 10 years.
With the support
of many institutions we have rescued the archaeological site, and little
by little, we have created an awareness of it potentials. The Fiesta El
Pilar has been institutionalized, now attracting thousands of visitors
from around the world. Four important trails have been established for
visiting tourists along with comfort stations, picnic area, and look-out
point. Trail guides are available to inform tourists of the important
work being done at the site. The development of contiguous parks and parallel
management have been applauded by world-wide and hailed as a major accomplishment.
Most importantly, the local community has been involved in the process.
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