Security forces arrive at the Xan Oil Field – credit, Gobierno de Guatemala
Guatemala has opted out of renewing a lease agreement on a 7,000-acre oil field in order to use the land for better protection of the surrounding Laguna del Tigre Biosphere Reserve.
An 830,000-acre component of the greater Mayan Biosphere Reserve which allows Mesoamerican wildlife to roam freely between the country and neighboring Belize and Mexico, it’s one of the world’s most important protected areas.
As such, the presence of an oil field inside its borders was controversial, even as the revenues provided critical GDP growth for the developing country. Now, a combination of pollution from the oil operations, sustained low oil prices, and illegal activities within the biosphere has led the government to determine that it is no longer profitable, and chose not to renew the extraction agreement with the Anglo-French developer Perenco.
Instead, the wells will be closed and the land will be turned over to the Guatemalan military for purposes of keeping a closer eye on the giant green emerald that is Laguna del Tigre.
“This marks the beginning of a process of taking control of a vast portion of the national territory that has long been open to all kinds of actors who often exploit it for illicit activities,” President Bernardo Arévalo said during a speech about the new facility.
Laguna del Tigre is one of the most-often exploited parts of the Mayan reserve, with thousands of acres lost every year to illegal cattle ranching, farming, and logging.
The Ministry of National Defense and the National Civil Police will occupy the Campo Xan for the purpose of cracking down on these illegal activities and incorporating a more collaborative cross-border policing program with Mexico and Belize.
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Critics have suggested the taking over of Xan Oil Fields is more of a political show than anything tangible, and that the reserve already has a security component—rendered inefficient by rampant corruption, Mongabay reports.
However, President Arévalo ran on a platform of ecological integrity, environmental protection, clean energy, and indigenous rights, so at the very least there is a mandate to put an end to these exploitative activities.
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Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patricia Orantes said the government is trying to do a “180-degree” shift on many management decisions, with a special focus on the Mayan Biosphere.
“We must conserve [the Maya Forest] for the good of Guatemalans and for the world,” Orantes said. “Protecting the climate is our responsibility, and that is what we’re aiming for.”
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