Links with the Community - Director's Vision - Archaeology Under the Canopy

Community Links

_____To accomplish the important goal of improving living standards and the self-sufficiency of the region’s villages and towns, the long-term agenda of resource conservation and sustainability must include the immediate and short-term needs of local families. No reserve exists within a vacuum, and for the El Pilar Program model to be fully achieved, the local population needs to maintain an active voice in the process. Local communities are the ultimate custodians of their history and environment. Our task is to prove they also are the ultimate beneficiaries.

_____I promoted the formation of a cooperative association, Amigos de El Pilar, that is now established in Belize and Guatemala. Their goal is to develop community enterprises in tourism and agriculture, such as the Be Pukte Cultural Center and the Masewal Forest-Garden Trail in the village of Bullet Tree Falls, which increase villagers' cultural links and economic stake in the reserve while incorporating their wisdom into the vision for El Pilar. Through education by the El Pilar Program and participation in program activities, the links between the community and the reserve strengthen local investments in conservation and administrative responsibility. Their accumulated accomplishments will promote conservation efforts locally and regionally. The leadership role the community is assuming and the self-determination they are gaining in the process is the foundation upon which the future success of the El Pilar model depends.

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