The Guatemalan resort Semuc Champey, a hydric complex of ponds, waterfalls and the Cahabón River, is being hurt by deforestation, says the organization Trópico Verde. Semuc Champey is located 250 km north of the capital, and in 2005 was declared a protected area because of the contamination of the ecosystem. But the area is also suffering the results of deforestation and “could turn into a desert,” Trópico Verde activist Carlos Albacete told Tierramérica.

Albacete and fellow activist Carlos Salvatierra, with the MadreSelva organization, believe it is essential that Congress also declare the surroundings of the resort protected areas as well.

“Unregulated logging brings degradation of the soils that function as hydric rechargers for the nearby communities, which will also be affected by the declining water supplies,” Salvatierra told Tierramérica.