Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of former President Oscar Berger and important government officials in the de-
partments of archaeology, forestry, and tourism. He has representatives lobbying
the Inter-American Development Bank for funding and has rallied wealthy in-
vestorsinsideandoutsideofGuatemala tohiscause.Allofthisisbeingcoordin-
ated through The Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental
Studies (FARES), established by Hansen in 1996.
In 2003, the California-based Global Heritage Fund and several other organiz-
ationsdonated$880,000towardtherestorationoffourtemplesatNakbé.Hansen
says he needs $35 million by 2023 to excavate and protect the area while de-
velopers build tourist infrastructure. FARES currently provides the funding for
year-round protection of the Mirador Basin sites from looters. In the long run,
Hansen believes increased tourism could fund the preservation and protection of
the sites, making the project self-sufficient while providing new economic op-
portunities for residents.
In2009,Hansensecured$1.3millioninfundingtodevelopaholisticmanage-
ment plan for low impact tourism in the region. The Colom administration has
officially announced the park's protection as part of a plan known as “4 Balam”
and several international organizations have stepped in to provide funding and
logistical support for the park's creation and management. Among these are the
Global Heritage Fund, the Foundation for Cultural and Natural Maya Patrimony
(PACUNAM),andFARES.PACUNAM'smembersincludeeightofGuatemala's
largest industrial groups: Cementos Progreso, Wal-Mart-Centroamérica, Fun-
dación Pantaleón, Cervecería Centroamericana, Banco Industrial, Telgua/Claro,
Disagro, and Citi Latin America.
The tourism development plan will take three years to implement. The In-
teramerican Development Bank donated $907,700 towards the project and the
GlobalHeritageFundandPACUNAMeachdonatedanadditional$215,000.The
plan's first phase will map the region and propose a route that encompasses the
main archaeological sites found in the area. The second phase of the project will
involve educating the local populace about the benefits of low-impact tourism
and will actively recruite their participation. The final phase will involve active
promotion of the new tourism circuit with the goal of increasing park visitation
from the current 2,000 annual visitors to 6,000.
Hansen'splans,thoughwell-intentioned,havemetsubstantialoppositionfrom
local communities and Petén's powerful environmental groups, who have spent
many years and millions of dollars developing relationships with local com-
munities to encourage the sustainable extraction of forest products. The sustain-
able forestry programs have received support from The Nature Conservancy and
the U.S. Agency for International Development, among others.
