Conservation Yolnabaj Site
The Chapter Frontera Norte (Northern Border) is located in Huehuetenango its headquarters is in the municipality of Barillas and works along with three communities of the largest municipalities of Huehuetenango, such as: Nentón, San Mateo Ixtatán and Santa Cruz Barillas municipalities located within the basins of Ixcán, Nentón and Pojóm rivers.
The Chapter Frontera Norte (Northern Border) emerged due to the execution of their first project called “Design, proposal and promotion of a regional Sub-system of protected areas for the north of Huehuetenango through alternatives conservation strategies” financed in 2008, by the Tropical Forest Conservation Fund –FCA by its initials in Spanish-, its office is located in the premises of the Commonwealth of the Municipalities of the Northern Border. With the execution of the first project it is defined for the North of Huehuetenango a document called “Technical proposal of a regional sub-system of conservation areas for the north of Huehuetenango”, this document has six regions or conservation sites, two of them are located in the municipality of Barillas: Maxbal and Montaña Los Ángeles, Tzikimté and Yulbatlac; three at San Mateo Ixtatán: Xapper-Bulek, Catelac and Cerro Bobi, and the last site is located within the limits of San Mateo Ixtatán and Nentón: Yolnabaj.
In these three conservation sites Maxbal, Yolnabaj and Xapper-Bulej which are prioritized by Fundaeco to develop actions in order to protect and conserve the natural resources, can be found various cultures such as Mam, Mestizo, Q’anjob’al and Chuj, and the last two of them are the most predominant cultures in the work areas.
This region is considered one of the most important for Guatemala since it is one of the most humid areas in the country, the forests still are in good condition of conservation and specially because inhabits different flora and fauna endemic species, in other words, these organisms are found only in this region (or just in Guatemala) so they do not exist in other part of the world.
The Wildlife Refuge Cerro Cruz Maltín-Montaña Tzucancá has an approximate area of 5,119.83 hectares and altitudes from 1,100 to 2,800 MASL, the plant formation in this place is classified as cloud forest and it is considered alike to the one existent at Purulhá, Baja Verapaz Biotopo for the Quetzal conservation by Véliz et al. (2001). This area is identified by the conservation local actors as a priority region of Sierra de los Cuchumatanes (Veliz et al 2001).
The Conservation Area Yolnabaj has a land extension of 7,266.25 hectares and it is integrated by an average of 10 communities of the municipality of San Mateo Ixtatán and Nentón having direct intervention of Fundaeco in 7 communities: Yulaurel, San Miguelito, Nuevo San José Frontera, La Bendición de Dios, Yalambojoch, Yuxquén, Ciénega Yalcastán y Yalcastán Buena Vista, in which are carried out protection process and conservation of natural resources, and are mentioned and developed in the Muxbal conservation area section along with the theme of ecotourism. The name of the conservation area is due to in the center of the polygon is located the largest freshwater lagoon in Huehuetenango called Yolnabaj Lagoon or Laguna Brava which means “Inside the lagoon”.
Yolnabaj conservation area is defined by two living zones: Very Humid Lower Subtropical Montane Forrest and Very Humid Subtropical (warm), this place is represented by a type of broadleaf forest and it is located in an altitudinal range from 711 MASL to 1,788 MASL.
