INTRODUCTION TO ECOTOURISM PLANNING & MANAGEMENT
 

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1. Map of Guatemala

2. Volcanos Fuego and Acatenango

3. Volcano Pacaya

4. Guatemala City is the capital and home to over 3 million people.

5. The last frontier in Guatemala is the Maya Biosphere Reserve in the District of El Peten...

6. ...encompassing over 2 mtilion hectares, making it the second largest tropical forest in the Western Hemisphere (the Amazon is first) and,

7. ...the Laguna del Tigre, the largest fresh water wetland in Central America.

8. Spider monkeys playing in the canopy

9. Scarlet Macaw only one of millions of inhabitants of the Jungle.

10. A Red Howler monkey on guard

11. The infamous poison arrow frog

12. The Keel-billed Toucan

13. A giant beetle practices the art of camouflage.

14. View from Temple IV - The Temple of the Double-headed Serpent (212 feet high)

15. The Great Pyramid from Temple IV.

16. Temple I (Temple of the Great Jaguar ( 150 ' high, built 700 AD)

17. Temple II (Temple of the Nasks ( 120 ' high built 700 AD)

18. Great Pyramid

19. Chock - the God of Rain.

20. Glyphs carved in stone.

21. The Mayans worshiped quetzalcoalt - the feathered serpent, the bird of life, and...

22. Tezcatlipoca, the jaguar, the force of darkness and death.

23. Festivals honor Mayan rituals that go back 1,000 years.

24. A ceremonial gathering at Tikal.

25. The Jaguar shaman is reincarnated.

26. Burning copal incense as an offering to the souls of loved ones.

27. Traditional flutes

28. and drums provide a mystical backdrop.

29. The Church of Santo Tomas was built around 1540 by the Spanish conquerors.

30. Here, the Mayans combine Catholic traditions with ancient rituals.

31. The costumes indicate both community of origin and rank.

32. A plume of smoke signals on-going destruction of the rainforest.

33. Clearlng forests to plant corn and extracting mahogany and other hardwoods from the forest.

34. 1-2 years of corn are grown before the soil is depleted and another area must be cleared.

35. More people means more land for agriculture and housing.

36. The jaguar's last refuge is the Peten jungle.

37. The development of sustainable economic activities is crucial to the health and survival of the Country.

38. Ecotourism is a major player in the sustainable development strategy.

39. Ecotourism is building on the traditional archeological-base tourism.

40. Ecolodges are small and have low environmental impact-reflecting the architecture and materials of the local culture.

41. Lodging and food is provided by local people.

42. Local people guide the tourists, sharing their knowledge of the jungle.

43 The tourists learn about and experience tropical forest ecosystems - facilitating understanding and knowledge.

44. Macadamia nut farms hope to steal this global market from Hawaii.

45. Shade coffee provides a valuable crop while maintaining diversity.

46. Potpourri factory harvests the seeds, twigs, and leaves of the Jungle.

47. And turns them into a product for the export market.

48. Many projects seek to develop new forms of agriculture that save and rebuld soil.

49. Harvest of allspice leaves and other herbs and spices from the jungle.

50. Carlos, a former Jaguar hunter, explains the art of harvesting chicle (chewing gum)from the Chico Zapote tree.

51. Three xateros explain how they harvest the palm leaves from xate (pronounced shia-te) to export for use in flower arrangments.

52. Traditional weaving remains a major source of income for women.

53. El rescate de nuestra cultural es el cambio que afianzar nuestra identidad. (The redemption of our culture is the change that becomes our identity.)

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