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SPRING RESERVE “CERRO SAN GIL”



Data Sheet


Characteristic

This Reserve protects one of the largest contiguous remnant of tropical rain forest of Guatemala (with around 25,000 hectares of forest) and is the refugee for a surprising biological diversity.

The Core Area of Cerro San Gil gives protection to Río Las Escobas basin, only source of drinking water for Puerto Barrios and Santo Tomás de Castilla, also as water sources of more than 40 local communities. Additionally, the forests of Cerro San Gil, protect the Navigation Channels of Santo Tomás de Castilla Port and Puerto Barrios, when reducing their sedimentation. It is also important to mention that scenic beauties of their forest encourages local and international tourism and the Path of Tropical Forest of Río Las Escobas is the most important destination for Caribbean Cruises of Guatemala.

From its establishment, Cerro San Gil has been a “model” Protected Area because of different management innovations inside SIGAP, including government participative mechanisms: the Local Executive Counsel of the Protected Area (CEL, by its initials in Spanish), which groups 11 local institutions; the Inter-Community Council (that groups representatives from all local communities), the Payment Scheme by Environmental Services from Río Las Escobas with the Municipality of Puerto Barrios and with EMPORNAC; land and cadastral management inside the protected area; the inscription of Ecological Easement; access to economic benefits and community participation in ecotourism; preparation and proposal before CONAP of specific regulation for the protected area; national land affiliation to CONAP inside the area; coordination with RIC to make measurements; PINFOR management of protection for communities are some of the methodologies developed for handling of Cerro San Gil. The continuous operation of the “Local Executive Counsel” (CEL) of the protected area during more than 15 years, in particular, is a unique example of participative government of a protected area.

Other of the mayor achievements has been to maintain in the last ten years a deforestation rate of 2.72, also to be one of the protected areas from the Guatemalan Caribbean that instead of presenting a loss of forestall cover from 2000 to 2010 has incremented more than 1900 hectares of forest in that period.


Flora

The floristic of Montañas del Mico and Cerro San Gil (Annex 2) is represented by 510 species from which 27% has been reported for the Department of Izabal and 68% for the rain tropical forest.

The tropical rain forest of the reserve is characterized by having two canopies, an undergrowth and a stratum of herbaceous plants. The first canopy is formed by trees between 50 and 60 meters high, while the second canopy is formed by trees between 25 of 40 meters high. In the first canopy it is common to find specimens of taxonomic families Sapotáceas, Moráceas, Meliaceae, Rutaceae, Guttiferaceae, Burseraceae, Fabaceae, Tiliaceae, Verbenaceae, Mimosacea and Myristicaceae. In the second canopy the families represented include: Annonaceae, Rubiaceae, Sapotáceas, Ulmaceae, Fabaceae, Lauraceae, Capparidaceae and Flacourtaciae (Rodríguez et al., s.f).

The forest under Cerro San Gil is characterized by having a mayor number of liana species, mainly represented by families Araceae, Ceasalpinaceae, Malpighiaceae, Clusiaceae, Combretaceae and Poligonoceae (Rodríguez et al., s.f.). Also, in the Reserve there are found vegetable associations of plants that grow in the riverside and other lake ecosystem bodies of water; also the vegetable association that form flooded forests and mangrove (Rodríguez et al., s.f.). In these last represent communities of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicenia sp), San Juan (Vochysia hondurensis), confra (Manicaria saccifera), palo sangre (Pterocarpus officinalis), zapoton (Pachira acuática) and barium (Symphonia globulifera).


Fauna

Cerro San Gil gives shelter to almost 50% of Guatemalan biological diversity: in spite of its small size and according to biological inventory made to this day, Cerro San Gil has 54% of the vertebrate species of the country; 56% of amphibian species; 48% of reptile species, 67% of bird species and more than 70% of mammal species of Guatemala live the forest of Cerro San Gil. Because of its topography, that starts from the see level up to 1,267 meters (in less than 8 kilometers), Cerro San Gil is an endemic center of amphibians, trees, palms and insects, confirming its importance not only national but global and planetary. Cerro San Gil is also a fundamental site for neo-tropical migratory birds, with more than 100 migratory bird species using Cerro San Gil as a hibernation or passing place. With more than 423 bird species, Cerro San Gil is an “Important Bird Area” (IBA) for Guatemala. As its name indicates, the water production is the main environment service of Cerro San Gil.

Cerro San Gil shelters 67% of Guatemalan birds



ACTIONS FOR NATURE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES

The projects we manage and the activities that we perform seek to give VITAL AND URGENT SUPPORT to guarantee the protection of the Core Area of Cerro San Gil through the reduction of threatens and the resolution of conflicts in critical points of pressure of agricultural border progress.

With the support of these projects and activities, the accompaniment of the Executive Local Counsel is strengthened for the implementation of dialogs, conflict resolution processes and working agreements; the Protection and Vigilance Unit of the protected area converting it in a theme unit with regional focus, besides the drawing of boundaries in pressure critical points and also supporting Specific Plans for the Defense and Recovery of the main basing of the protected area mobilizing support for this task of the Governance and Puerto Barrios Municipality ; in addition to look for the decrease of cadastral conflicts that threaten the Core Zone, negotiating conservation agreements with local communities and supporting development of productive projects (Xate, black pepper, rubber, PINPEP and PINFOR of protection and reforestation).

Furthermore, other of the important activities developed in the reserve is to bring Sexual and Reproductive Health services to Indigenous Women, in coordination with the governmental, municipal and community authorities of each village, and in a close alliance with midwifes and local female leaders, it has been established a Clinical Network for the provision of services SSR –with cultural pertinence and gender focus- to cover 40 rural highly remote and vulnerable communities. Currently two clinics have been inaugurated in the reserve and there still two pendent to be opened. To that end the support of two Collaborating Entities with plenty of experience in the subject is had, “Movement for Equity Association” (AME, by its initials in Spanish) and the American association “Planned Parenthood Federation of America” (PPFA), which have supported, assessed and accompanied FUNDAECO for more than two years in their program of SSR services coverage extension.

Despite the protected area is one of the pilot areas from SIGAM in the Guatemalan Caribbean, the financing has been reduced in the last 5 years, currently the projects that we develop are the following:


No. NAME OF THE PROJECT BENEFACTOR
1 BLACK PEPPER IN CSG FONAGRO/MAGA
2 SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PPFA
3 ENSENADA VERDE INFRASTRUCTURE INGUAT
4 SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH UE
5 CHAIN FUNDAECO PNB PARIBAS REDD+ AGEXPORT
6 A.P. MANAGEMENT: CSG, SARSTUN Y MANABIQUE FCA
7 ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES PAYMENT LAS ESCOBAS AGUAS DE IZABAL
8 ECOLOGICAL PATH LAS ESCOBAS FONDOS PROPIOS
9 TECHNICAL COOPERATION BID PES BID