MISSION AND ORGANIZATION
The Center for Conservation of Biodiversity in Guatemala (CCBG) was founded on January 1998, as a private organization concerned with conservation of natural resources in Guatemala, as well as environmental education and appropriate training for Guatemalans.
The CCBG mission is to promote a better understanding of the value and need for conserving biodiversity and to develop programs and actions that will encourage citizens to participate in the different groups of our society.
Our activities are divided into three sections:
The CCBG coordinates the Environmental Library for Children which is located at La Aurora National Zoo. Its main objective is to educate children about ecology, natural history and biology through its collection of specialized books on these topics. The library also offers regular courses and workshops to children that emphasize these topics.
In July 1999 the CCBG also funded the Environmental Library on the Road, which is a parallel program to the Environmental Library for Children. This is a mobile library that travels to several rural areas in Guatemala and provides a source of references as any library, as well as short courses and workshops for children on topics related with nature and conservation of natural resources.
Guatemala is a country whose economy is based on agriculture. The total area for reserves and national parks in the country is 12%, very similar to the total area of agroecosystrems, which is 13%. Therefore, the actions for conservation in Guatemala need to be focused on conservation benefits of different agroecosystems, such as plantations of coffee under shade
The CCBG supports research projects on coffee plantations that look for alternative management techniques that help conserve biodiversity. The CCBG also provides consultancy to coffee growers on how to collaborate with the process of conservation of natural resources on their own properties.
Our on-going projects include:
3. PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
The CCBG organizes training courses and workshops for professionals to help to improve their knowledge on management of natural resources and its conservation. In 1999 we offered an international course Applied techniques to medicine with wildlife together with Wildlife Preservation Trust. In 2000, we offered a workshop for environmental educators: Interpretation of Biodiversity: A priority for environmental education in the tropics, together with the American Museum of Natural History.
For more information, contact Lorena Calvo, Executive Director, Parque Zoologico la Aurora zona 13, Guatemala City. Phone/Fax 502-4723921, lcalvo@guate.net