Sierra del Lacandón National Park

Ironically, Guatemala [1]’s civil war helped protect many pristine areas from invasion and environmental degradation. This was especially the case in Sierra del Lacandón, a mountain chain in the western part of Petén [2] along the Usumacinta River, where guerrillas and so-called Permanent Communities in Resistance (CPR) hid out in the jungle along the Guatemalan shore.

Their presence discouraged illegal logging, poaching, and looting, as well as the surveying activities of dam engineers. The subsequent absence of the expelled CPRs after the end of the civil war left the area open to invasion, illegal logging, and smuggling of immigrants, arms, Mayan relics, and drugs.

The 1996 Guatemala peace accords and the Zapatista Rebellion across the border in Mexico reshaped the nature of things in the Usumacinta watershed. Bandits began robbing rafting trips, including the author and eight others while camping on the Mexican bank in April 2004.

Wilderness travel on the river north of Yaxchilán [3] (Mexican bank) has pretty much ended since then, putting a monkey wrench into one option for low-impact, economically beneficial activities contributing to the conservation of this beautiful area.

That said, the park is extremely important as a biological corridor and is believed to hold one of the largest populations of jaguars in all of Central America as well as an incredible degree of biodiversity, qualities enhanced by the rugged terrain of this jungle mountain park. Hidden in the forests are the remains of several Mayan sites, the most important of which is Piedras Negras [4], deep inside the park along the Usumacinta River. The only other way to reach the site is by air.

Sierra del Lacandón National Park is privately administered by Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza. In June 2006, together with The Nature Conservancy, it completed the purchase of 77,000 acres of privately owned land in the core zone of Sierra del Lacandón. Soon thereafter, a number of ranger stations inside the park were burned to the ground by squatters invading parklands.

As in other cases, the squatters are said to have ties to drug traffickers and smugglers of illegal immigrants who find these remote areas very attractive. An attempt to evict squatters from an area known as Arroyo Macabilero in June 2006 ended with a gunfight between heavily armed men and park rangers. Four park rangers were taken captive but were released a few days later unharmed.

In the summer of 2006, authorities were attempting to regain control of the area in a joint venture between Defensores de la Naturaleza and governmental security forces. Shortly thereafter, in October 2006, the press widely reported the retaking of Sierra del Lacanón by large numbers of Guatemalan security forces, who ousted about 80 families living at Arroyo Macabilero in a peaceful expropriation overseen and verified by human rights organizations.

It remains to be seen if control of this wild frontier can be retained and if ranger stations or other tourist infrastructure will be rebuilt. For now, it is advisable to stay out of this park, with the possible exception of visits to Yaxchilán [3], across the Usumacinta River in Mexico, or via motorboat to Piedras Negras. In any case, check on the situation with one of the recommended Flores guide companies [5] before heading out to these parts, as the situation can vastly improve or degenerate in a matter of weeks.

If the security situation is ever cleared up, Sierra del Lacandón promises to be one of the Maya Biosphere’s most exquisite offerings because of the diversity of the terrain and corresponding biological significance. It is an absolutely beautiful park despite its current woes. Piedras Negras is a fascinating Mayan city and the jungle-lined banks of the Usumacinta offer an incredible river adventure. Having flown over much of the reserve, I can personally attest to the relatively well-preserved state of its mountain rainforests.