|
PRESS
** El Triunfo RAVE in OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE ***
REPORT ON EL TRIUNFO RAVE
Some years ago, the cloud forest was recognized as the most threatened
ecosystems on the planet. According to Conservation International (CI),
in the Americas, these kinds of forests harbor several important
endemic species and are well represented in two of the most diverse
hotspot regions: the Mesoamerican –where El Triunfo is located—and the
Tropical Andes.
El Triunfo, located in southwestern Mexico is one of the biggest
remnants of this valuable ecosystem and is the home of the very
charismatic flagship species, the quetzal.
Roger Tory Peterson once said that the resplendent quetzal is the most
beautiful bird in America and one that was worshiped by the Maya and
the Aztecs as a divinity. It was in fact, so revered, that whoever
killed one faced the death penalty.
Today, people in Mexico barely know that this bird exists. This is representative of the large gap between human urbanized societies and nature.
In addition to not knowing that the cloud forest
of El Triunfo is one of the last and most important strongholds for
this magnificent bird; people are also not aware that 40% of the
hydro-electrical power in Mexico comes from a complex of four dams that
are located at the foot of the Sierra Madre del Sur.
El Triunfo not only serves as a sponge that traps and releases rain
water, it also nourishes the rivers and streams that feed these dams.
The rich agricultural lands of the region benefit from this ecosystem
which provides hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ecosystem
service to the people of Mexico, free of charge and courtesy of the
forests of El Triunfo.
BIOLOGICAL. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RELEVANCE
El Triunfo has great biological and economical importance for its
ecosystem services. The social relevance lies with the communities that
live on the slopes and hillsides of the mountain. They make a living
growing shade grown coffee for national and international markets.
Several communities have been working for many years with Starbucks and
Conservation International to protect delicate habitats.
|
|
THE FIRST RAVE!
The ILCP is proud to announce its first RAVE -- Rapid Assessment Visual
Expedition. The expedition, led by ILCP Fellows Patricio Robles Gil, Jack
Dykinga, Tom Mangelsen, and Florian Schulz, is accompanied by Italian
photographer Fulvio Eccardi, who is also vicepresident of the El Triunfo
Conservation Fund. Also traveling with the team are Mexican film-maker Fabricio
Feducci and Spanish photographer Jaime Rojo. El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in the
Sierra Madre of Chiapas, where the team is headed, protects one of the last
great remaining cloud forests in the hemisphere and is reported to have a
greater diversity of tree species than most forests in North and Central
America. This critically important area is under grave threat from extensive
coffee plantations and illegal immigration.
BACKGROUND
..
The El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in the Sierra Madre of
Chiapas protects one of the last great remaining cloud forests in the
hemisphere and it is reported to have a greater diversity of tree
species than most forests in North and Central America.
It is part of the Mesoamerican Hotspot . It contains by itself 24% of
the animal species registered for Mexico and it is a key region for
migratory birds.
In the high parts of the mountain range,
the dense cloud forests provided shelter to the elusive horned guan
(Oreophasis derbianus) and one of the last remaining populations of
resplendent quetzals (Pharomachrus mocinno)
El Triunfo is also one of the few spots where traditional organic
shade-grown coffee plantations have been sustained thanks to
conservation alliances like the one held by Conservation International
and Starbucks Coffee™
Being one of Mexico’s highest precipitation regions, many of the
streams that irrigate the coast and heartland of Chiapas are born here.
This is a key ecosystem to guarantee the sustainability of the fresh
water supply to the region
THREATS TO EL TRIUNFO
In addition to habitat loss and degradation due to the agricultural
expansion (including coffee, which is a major crop in this region) and
the ever growing effects of Climate Change, there are two major threats
to the delicate ecosystems of El Triunfo. The first and most dangerous
is a planned road that will divide the Reserve into two fragments, with
predictable ill-fated consequences. The second one is the risk of
natural disasters, like land slides, that can be avoided if the forest
is preserved.
Disasters like the one that occurred in 2005 after hurricane Stan –when
the ensuing flood filled the hydro-electrical dams with sediments and
washed away several roads and railways— may help disuade important
agencies like the Electricity Federal Commission (CFE) or the
Transportation and Communications Secretary of Mexico, to make small
investments to preserve the forest and prevent such disasters instead
of paying millions of dollars later to restore the damages.
|
