As a way to support forest conservation and protection in the Pacific Slope of Guatemala, the Private Institute for Climate Change Research, ICC, is supporting the community organizations of Acatenango, Chimaltenango, the Indigenous Community CIP of El Chilar Estate, Palin, Escuintla, and the highlands of the Nahualate river watershed as a support to the Friends of the Ixtacapa River Association, and soon to the Nahuala Co-op, in the Pasac Village, Nahuala, Solola.
This support has been given through capacity building in fires prevention and control, and also by providing equipment and basic tools to the rangers. The people involved learned basic techniques for preventing, firefighting and adequate use of the equipment for such duty.
When the communities have rangers ready, communities can better respond against emergencies or forest fires, allowing them to quickly react against fire and reduce the impact of the fires in the ecosystems.
Some facts about forest fires:
- Fire season begins in October and finishes by April (Dry season)
- The efforts made by the rangers are extended through May
- Rangers are community volunteers and don’t perceive a paycheck
- Communities have been supported by the ICC, the National System to Prevent and Control Forest Fires, SIPECIF, and the National Forest Institute, INAB.
The efforts of the ICC to conserve forests begun in 2013. This year, it is expected to support the Nahuala Co-op, which protects the forests in the Santo Tomas Pecul volcano, as well as the private reserves of the highlands of the Toliman volcano, in Solola and Suchitepequez.
