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CNN International "World's Untold Stories" to Recognize Global Heritage Fund's Successful Conservation of Early Mayan Cultural Sites at Mirador in Guatemala
October 12, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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GHF Public Relations
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CNN INTERNATIONAL’S “WORLD’S UNTOLD STORIES” TO RECOGNIZE GLOBAL HERITAGE FUND’S SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION OF EARLY MAYAN CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES AT MIRADOR IN GUATEMALA
Featuring New Discoveries and Never-Before Seen Footage of
Priceless Popul Vu Preclassic Maya Murals
and One of the World’s Largest Pyramids - La Danta
October 12, 2009 - Palo Alto, California USA - CNN International’s “World’s Untold Stories” will feature a moving half-hour special from October 13 through November 1, 2009, about Global Heritage Fund’s (GHF) integral role in saving the endangered Mirador Basin and its Preclassic Maya sites, temples and pyramids in Guatemala.
Air Dates for GHF Special on CNNi are as follows:
Tuesday, Oct 13 8:30 AM ET, 12:30pm ET
Saturday, Oct 17 12:30pm ET
Sunday, Oct 18 7am ET, 2:30pm ET, 10pm ET
Tuesday, Oct 27 8:30am ET 1:30pm ET
Saturday, Oct 31 12:30pm ET
Sunday, Nov 1 7am ET, 2:30pm ET, 10pm ET
Mirador Basin harbors one of the most important and earliest cradles of Maya civilization, and is located in the heart of the Maya Biosphere in northern Guatemala, one of the world’s last refuges for wildlife, including the endangered jaguar and orange breasted falcon.
Global Heritage Fund, an international conservancy focused on protecting cultural heritage sites in developing countries, has worked closely with the Guatemalan government and business partners to ensure proper conservation and community training at Mirador. Renowned archaeologist Dr. Richard Hansen has served as GHF’s Project Director at Mirador and has been leading GHF’s conservation and community investments there for the past five years. A total of $6 million has been raised to date, including $3 million in Guatemalan private sector support from PACUNAM. Home to the earliest and largest Preclassic Maya archaeological sites in Mesoamerica, including one of the largest pyramids in the world - La Danta, Mirador is Guatemala’s leading nomination for UNESCO World Heritage designation.
CNNi’s “World Untold Stories” showcases courageous correspondents telling intimate stories of society’s most vulnerable people. Mirador faces accelerating threats, such as massive fires and looting, illegal logging, poaching and encroachment. GHF executive director Jeff Morgan and Dr. Richard Hansen are interviewed by CNNi on the challenges and solutions for Mirador’s future.
“Cultural heritage destruction is a global crisis, particularly in developing countries where resources are scarce. GHF is proud to have worked over the last six years with its partners to protect one of the world’s most important bastions of Mayan civilization,” said executive director of Global Heritage Fund Jeff Morgan. “We are delighted that CNN International will share the courageous stories of heroes of conservation committed to bolstering the local economy in Guatemala and preserving their most important asset - their cultural heritage.”
About Global Heritage Fund
Global Heritage Fund is an international conservancy dedicated to preserving endangered world heritage sites in developing countries to improve lives of local people. GHF enables successful, long-term preservation of the developing world’s most important archaeological sites and ancient townscapes in developing countries, creating new opportunities for economic growth. To achieve this, Global Heritage Fund deploys a well-proven Preservation by Design methodology: 1) comprehensive master conservation planning, 2) sustained preservation through local community involvement, 3) excellence in scientific conservation, and 4) partnerships and complementary funding. Global Heritage Fund is a registered non-profit international conservancy based in Palo Alto, California and London, U.K.. Web site: http://www.globalheritagefund.org.
