Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Cerro La May to Be Protected

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GUATEMALA CITY, Jul 21 2003 (IPS) - Environmental officials in Guatemala have begun studies aimed at declaring the northern cloud forest Cerro La May, covering more than 100 square km, a protected area, reports the governmental National Conservation Fund. Cerro La May, in the Chicamán district of El Quiché department, is a subtropical cloud forest that feeds the Naranjo and Chixoy rivers.

Efforts to have La May declared a protected area have been going on for years, “but they have lacked continuity. If approved this time, it would void the project to build a highway over the mountain,” Carlos Salvatierra, of the environmental group MadreSelva, said in comments to Tierramérica.

Endangered species like the jaguar, tapir and quetzal, as well as precious wood species like the mahogany and cedar, are just some of the riches held by the Cerro La May forest.