Maya Forest
The Maya Forest covers approximately 13 million acres of Central America—the largest remaining block of tropical rain forest outside the Amazon basin. It was once the home of a thriving Maya civilization and it is now the last bastion for colorful indigenous birds, the winter home for many of North America’s song birds, and a sanctuary for endangered species such as the howler monkey, jaguar, tapir, ocelot and giant anteater. The forest is so dense and rugged in places that discoveries of Maya ruins are still being made. Just as importantly, discoveries are also being made of new animal life, new plants and new uses of plants that grow only in the rain forest.
Rainfall in the Maya Forest is seasonal and varies by location from about 53 inches—about the same as portions of the eastern United States—to more than 150 inches in some of the wetter sites. In the drier locations, annual drought can result in wildfires, adding to the many management problems faced by local organizations struggling to preserve natural conditions.
The Maya Forest is shared by southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Today, 200,000 acres a year of this beautiful treasure is being lost to fire, illegal logging, cattle ranching and unsustainable agriculture. This is why Rain Forest Rescue funds are being shared with The Nature Conservancy and local partners to preserve the remaining pristine areas. Some funds are used to protect core areas of preserves, while others are used to encourage sustainable agriculture and forestry that enable local people to feed their families but with limited impact on the rain forest.
