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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The United States Department of the Interior and
the Government of Guatemala Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Protect El Mirador
Major 5 Year Program for Conservation of El Mirador National Park
Supported by Global Heritage Fund and the Foundation for
Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES)
Washington, DC (September 12, 2006) – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Chief of Staff to the President of Guatemala, Carlos Fión, and Director of Culture for the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Salvador Lopez, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding that launches a ten-year partnership for the conservation of significant natural and cultural resources of El Mirador National Park, Guatemala.
The Department of the Interior’s International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP) will provide independent technical expertise to the Guatemalan Government and its partners on numerous aspects of natural and cultural management. The initial focus of the partnership will be to promote sustainable development at the El Mirador National Park, an important tourist destination in Guatemala, while protecting its resources.
Funding for DOI activities at El Mirador will come from the Global Heritage Fund, a U.S. non-governmental organization that has also contributed its expertise to investigations and conservation programs in this region. Strong public-private partnerships are also forming to support the efforts at El Mirador. The Guatemalan business community will heavily fund much of the investigation, conservation and protection measures to be conducted on the site in partnership with Global Heritage Fund and FARES, the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES).
"The United States and Guatemala have a strong relationship,” Kempthorne said to members of the Guatemala delegation at a signing ceremony held in his office. “Both nations balance encouraging tourism with protecting natural resources. Both nations encourage public-private partnerships in conservation. I am pleased to be signing this Memorandum of Understanding."
El Mirador National Park, considered by archaeologists as the “Cradle of Maya Civilization,” is located within the largest tract of virgin tropical forest remaining in Central America and is home to the largest and earliest cities of the Maya world. La Danta, the largest temple at El Mirador, is the largest known pyramid in the Western Hemisphere. Important archaeological findings in this region, led by Idaho State University archaeologist Dr. Richard Hansen, have re-written the history of Maya civilization, pushing their history back by 1,000 years. Recent national publicity including the National Geographic documentary “Dawn of the Maya” has prompted a rapid increase in tourism in the area. As the park currently offers little to no visitor infrastructure or education, the DOI-ITAP partnership with Guatemala will help ready the park for the expected continued increase in tourism to this area.
“GHF has been working for 4 years to complete conservation of major temples and pyramids at Mirador, and to build strong consensus and a network of private and public-sector support save the last remaining tropical forests and most ancient Maya archaeological sites in Central America, said Jeff Morgan, Executive Director of Global Heritage Fund (GHF). The threats from fire and pillage and challenges ahead are as difficult as ever and we call on all Guatemalans and international agencies to help support the enhanced protection and conservation of El Mirador National Park.”
Dr. Richard Hansen, President of the Foundation for Anthropological Studies and Environmental Science (FARES) and the leader of archaeological conservation in Guatemala was awarded Guatemala’s highest honor bestowed on a civilian for his work to save the cultural patrimony of the Republic of Guatemala, one of the richest and earliest civilizations in the world.
Dr. Hansen and his Guatemalan and international collegues have dedicated their lives to the exploration, conservation and permanent protection of the Mirador Basin, believed by most experts to be the Cradle of Maya Civilization featured on Discovery, ABC 20/20, CNN and National Geographic ‘Dawn of the Maya’. Mirador Basin’s 600,000 acres contains five distinct forests, abundant wildlife and the oldest and most monumental examples of the earliest Maya cities from 300-800BC. Within the Mirador Basin, Dr. Hansen has discovered one of the world’s largest pyramids in the world- La Danta - and five ancient Maya cities – Tintal, Wakna, Xuhnal, Nakbe and El Mirador - larger than Tikal, a nearby national park generating over $200 million a year in tourism revenues for Guatemala.
“Global Heritage Fund congratulates Dr. Hansen and the Ministry of Culture of Guatemala for this exceptional recognition by the Department of the Interior. His years of scientific and conservation work gives that country hope that Guatemala could be the next Egypt for exploration, science, conservation and planned, sustainable development of the world’s earliest cities and monuments,” said Jeff Morgan, Executive Director of Global Heritage Fund.
About FARES
The Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES) is a non-profit research institute dedicated to the scientific study of humanity and environment through conservation, education, and responsible development. FARES conducts scientific archaeological research and environmental studies in the Mirador Basin area of northern Guatemala and the preservation of the tropical rainforest in northern Guatemala and the Mesoamerican Lowlands.
Dr. Richard D. Hansen is a specialist on the early Maya and is the Director of the Mirador Basin Project in northern Guatemala. He was an Assistant Research Scientist (Level IV) with the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at UCLA until Dec. 2003. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES), a non-profit scientific research institution, now based in Washington, D.C. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Archaeology from UCLA in January 1992.
About Global Heritage Fund
Global Heritage Fund is the leading international conservancy preserving endangered world heritage sites in developing countries. Our mission is to enable successful, long-term preservation of humankind's most important archaeological sites and ancient townscapes, creating new opportunities for economic growth. Global Heritage Fund uses its Preservation by Design methodology to develop comprehensive Master Conservation Plans, provide early matching grants and training, build local institutions and promote sustainable tourism development to further permanent protection for global cultural treasures. Global Heritage Fund is a registered non-profit international conservancy based in Palo Alto, California.
At the very heart of GHF's conservation efforts is the Global Heritage Network (GHN) of experts and conservation technology backed by GHF’s Leaders in Conservation, Senior Advisory Board, and Trustees for Global Heritage, a distinguished network of philanthropists and foundations committed to preserving and protecting these endangered one-of-a-kind archaeological and world heritage sites. www.globalheritagefund.org/where/mirador.html.
The United States Department of the Interior and the Government of Guatemala Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Protect Major Maya Archaeological Sites at El Mirador |
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September 12, 2006
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Carlos Fión, Chief of Staff to the President of Guatemala, Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Salvador Lopez, Director of Culture for the Guatemala Ministry of Culture and Sports, sign Understanding for a partnership that will help promote sustainable development in Guatemala. |
(WASHINGTON)—Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Chief of Staff to the President of Guatemala, Carlos Fión, and Director of Culture for the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Salvador Lopez, signed a Memorandum of Understanding today that launches a ten-year partnership for the conservation of significant natural and cultural resources in Guatemala.
The Department of the Interior’s International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP) will provide independent technical expertise to the Guatemalan Government and its partners on numerous aspects of natural and cultural management. The initial focus of the partnership will be to promote sustainable development at the El Mirador National Park, an important tourist destination in Guatemala, while protecting its resources.
Funding for DOI activities at El Mirador will come from the Global Heritage Fund, a U.S. non-governmental organization that has also contributed its expertise to investigations and conservation programs in this region.
Strong public-private partnerships are also forming to support the efforts at El Mirador. The Guatemalan business community will heavily fund much of the investigation, conservation and protection measures to be conducted on the site.
"The United States and Guatemala have a strong relationship,” Kempthorne said to members of the Guatemala delegation at a signing ceremony held in his office. “Both nations balance encouraging tourism with protecting natural resources. Both nations encourage public-private partnerships in conservation. I am pleased to be signing this Memorandum of Understanding."
El Mirador National Park, considered by archaeologists as the “Cradle of Maya Civilization,” is located within the largest tract of virgin tropical forest remaining in Central America and is home to the largest and earliest cities of the Maya world. La Danta, the largest temple at El Mirador, is the largest known pyramid in the Western Hemisphere. Important archaeological findings in this region, led by Idaho State University archaeologist Dr. Richard Hansen, have re-written the history of Maya civilization, pushing their history back by 1,000 years. Recent national publicity including the National Geographic documentary “Dawn of the Maya” has prompted a rapid increase in tourism in the area. As the park currently offers little to no visitor infrastructure or education, the DOI-ITAP partnership with Guatemala will help ready the park for the expected continued increase in tourism to this area.
Fión told Secretary Kempthorne, "it is an honor for the Government of Guatemala to share a table with you. We recognize and thank you for the interest and support of the United States. The commitment of Guatemala in the area of conservation and protection of the environment, and natural and archaeological resources is total, including many parts of the Guatemalan government, the private sector, and individuals."
DOI-ITAP will also assist the Guatemalan government with the development of park management plans, the strengthening of park law enforcement for the protection of its resources and visitors, and the design and posting of educational and interpretive information at the sites to enhance the visitor experience.
Please direct media inquiries to:
GHF Press press@globalheritagefund.org
or (650) 325 7520
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