Trail system proposed for Central America
10/29/99
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Title: Trail system proposed for Central America
Source: Environmental News Network, http://www.ens.com/
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: October 29, 1999
Byline: Robinson Shaw
The Wildlife Conservation Society helped the Guatamalan government
improve the trail system at Tikal National Park, the most visited
natural area in northern Central America.
The idea of a network of trails linking natural and cultural parks
in seven Central America countries is just a few steps away from
becoming a reality. Like the Appalachian Trail along the eastern
United States seaboard or the Pacific Crest Trail, the Mesoamerican
Trail Project would link the rich biology, history and culture of
Central America into a series of trails for anyone to use.
The aim is to preserve Central America's wild places and forests by
developing new trails and linking several long-distance
international hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing and
rafting routes. Trails would span from north to south and from the
Pacific to the Atlantic linking parks and uniting the Central
American isthmus from Guatemala to Panama.
"We would like to use trails that already exist so there's less of
an environmental impact. Trails like pre-Columbian Indian routes,
cobblestone routes used by early Spanish colonists and abandoned
railroad corridors from the heyday of the banana trade," said Jim
Barborak, project director for the Wildlife Conservation Society
Mesoamerican and Caribbean Program.
Another goal of the project is to improve the economy of the
countries involved. "Most important is not the macro, but the
grassroots benefit to communities who otherwise might take a
hatchet or axe to the trees in the park," said Barborak. "The
biggest cause of deforestation and destruction to the forest is
converting it for agriculture and grazing."
The trail will potentially bring foreign tourists to these
countries, where they will spend money, sleep in local hostels and
eat at local restaurants. Several initiatives are already in place
to encourage communities and individuals to improve their
surroundings and convert their skills, like hunting and fishing,
into skills for eco-tourism, said Barborak.
For example, gill-netters are now fly-fishing guides and there is a
movement to teach people English and natural history to become
bilingual natural history guides, said Barborak.
A hiker looks into the Chiltepe Lagoon in Nicaragua. Trails to the
top of some Central America volcanic peaks offer spectacular views,
sometimes all the way to the Caribbean coast.
The Wildlife Conservation Society united with conservation groups
and government agencies in Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to develop the trail
system.
"These countries are very small and very poor but they are
strategically placed. They have some of the richest bio-diversity
on Earth. Economically, they are under-developed but they are
biological super powers. Because of the poverty and population
growth, their rich natural heritage is rapidly degrading," said
Barborak.
The World Bank and the Netherlands government recently donated
$92,000 for the first phase of the project - gathering data on
existing trails and where routes to link protected areas could be
built. Leaders of indigenous communities, recreation advisors,
environmental groups, tour operators, archaeologists and historians
have all attended vision workshops for the project. Their input as
well as the publics' will be taken into consideration when the
project is finalized.
The Mesoamerican Trail Project is a spin-off of the Mesoamerican
Biological Corridor, a planned greenway that would stretch from
Mexico to Panama along the Caribbean coast. "It's something that
adds value to the corridor concept. One thing we are trying to do
is educate the visitor, get more people interested in the national
parks and cultural heritage of Mesoamerica," said Barborak. "There
are 32 million Central Americans and a large number of them have
never visited a National Park or archaeological site."
In two weeks, a comprehensive web site on the Mesoamerican Trail
Project will provide maps and the opportunity for visitors to
contribute their ideas for the trail system. The final proposal
will be posted at the website at www.mesosenderos.org.
But, don't plan on being able to mountain bike from the Gulf of
Honduras to the Gulf of Panama next summer. "Initiatives like this,
like building the Appalachian Trail (which took 12 years), are
generational enterprises," said Barborak. "If this happens it's
going to happen through a grassroots effort with a lot of sweat
equity thrown in. And through a collaborative effort including
local communities, local and federal governments, grassroots
environmental groups and support of the international community."