Goal:
Ongoing long-term conservation of the Laguna Grande Reserve to protect lagoons, mangroves, lowland and inundated forests, and karstic mountain forests in Caribbean Guatemala.
This project is fully funded at present.
(Support is welcome for other projects)
Conservation Value:
Laguna Grande Reserve encompasses a unique system of lagoons, mangroves, inundated forests, lowland forests, and karstic mountain forests between sea level and 385 m. Located within the Río Sarstún Multiple Use Reserve, which is a vital link in the Caribbean Rainforest Corridor of Guatemala.
Threats:
Lowland and inundated tropical rainforests of the Caribbean Region of Guatemala have almost disappeared. The expansion of palm oil plantations and cattle ranching operations has further endangered lowland forests there. In 2009, a property came on the market that represented a not-to-be-missed conservation opportunity (see Action & Results).
Actions & Results:
FUNDAECO purchased 675 ha to create Reserva Laguna Grande in 2009, with support from ICFC and World Land Trust. In 2020, with World Land Trust support, FUNDAECO acquired three more properties totalling 1,333 hectares, expanding the reserve to 2,000 ha and it has since increased to 2025 ha. The newly expanded reserve is located next to a 2,000-ha National Core Zone of National Lands, which is now protected and co-managed by FUNDAECO. Thus, we now have a fully protected “core zone” of contiguous forests and natural ecosystems encompassing over 4,000 ha along the Río Sarstún River.
ICFC is now working with FUNDAECO to optimize the monitoring, management and protection of the reserve.
Biological monitoring of mangroves revealed a high density of 1,600 mangroves per hectare and a 40% survival rate of mangroves planted in 2023. A new project to monitor jaguars was launched in late 2024 with help from Panthera.
Two communities in the core Rio Sarstún area signed conservation agreements. Eleven scholarships were provided to students in five communities. Ecotourism continues to provide substantial income for the reserve while boosting the local economy.
Location:
Río Sarstún, Guatemala
Size of Area Involved:
2,025 hectares
Project Field Partner:
Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación (FUNDAECO)
Our Investment to Date:
Cost for reserve management (2021-2024): CA$253,532 (ongoing in 2025)
ICFC portion of land acquisition 2012-2013: US$230,000 (53% of total purchase price)
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Project Partners and Personnel
Our partners in this acquisition are: Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación (FUNDAECO), the Guatemalan NGO that manages and protects the reserve; and UK-based World Land Trust (WLT). (FUNDAECO is also ICFC’s partner for the Sierra Caral Reserve.) WLT played the crucial role of providing a loan for the property’s acquisition; it is also supporting protection and management activities for the reserve.
Background
Description of the property being conserved
The 2,008 ha Laguna Grande Reserve is located in the lower portion of the Río Sarstún/Sarstoon River Watershed, on the border between Guatemala’s Izabel province and southern Belize. It encompasses a unique system of lagoons, mangroves, inundated forests, lowland forests, and karstic mountain forests between sea level and 385m. The property is located within the Río Sarstún Multiple Use Reserve (see map below), which is a vital link in the Caribbean Rainforest Corridor of Guatemala. To the north, in Belize, is the Sarstoon-Temash National Park; to the east is the Zapodilla Keys Marine Reserve; to the south are the Chocón-Machacas Biotope and the Río Dulce National Park; and to the west is Sierra Santa Cruz-Chocón-Machacas Special Protection Area. The original land purchased in 2009 was $641/hectare ($259/acre) for a total of US$432,702, including taxes. In 2020 the World Land Trust (UK) supported the purchase of an additional 1,333 hectares.
Actions and Results
This project involved:
- paying most outstanding costs of the land acquisition for the Laguna Grande Reserve;
- ensuring its permanent protection through additional legal safeguards;
- carrying out additional needed protection and management activities in 2013.
- In 2014. ICFC supported the position of reserve guard for Laguna Grande reserve (since then other funding has covered this position).
- In 2021 ICFC committed $210,000 US to a new four-year agreement to assist FUNDAECO conserve the entire 4,000 ha reserve by adding new reserve guards, developing collaborative community agreements, and identifying financial mechanisms for long-term funding.
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