Positive Story: Guatemala Opts Out of Oil Extraction in Favor of Protecting Jaguars and Macaws in Mayan Biosphere | An Encouraging Development

Positive Story: Guatemala Opts Out of Oil Extraction in Favor of Protecting Jaguars and Macaws in Mayan Biosphere | An Encouraging Development

Why this story matters: While it may not dominate headlines, this story reflects meaningful change in action. Quick summary: This story highlights recent developments related to central america, showing how constructive action can lead to meaningful results. Security forces arrive at the Xan Oil Field – credit, Gobierno de Guatemala Guatemala has opted out of renewing a lease agreement on a 7,000-acre oil field in order to use the land for better protection of the surrounding Laguna del Tigre Biosphere Reserve. An 830,000-acre component of the greater Mayan Biosphere Reserve which allows Mesoamerican wildlife to roam freely between the country and neighboring Belize and Mexico, it’s one of the world’s most important protected areas. As such, the presence of an oil field inside its borders was controversial, even as the revenues provided critical GDP growth for the developing country. Now, a combination of pollution from the oil operations, sustained low oil prices, and illegal activities w…