The wetlands of the Chocón Machacas Protected Biotope have biophysical characteristics that make it of utmost importance for the conservation of locally- and internationally-threatened species, as is the case of the manatee (Trichechus manatus). The southern part of the biotope is inside the Río Dulce National Park, so its aquatic systems are connected to a large area where unique Guatemalan species thrive. Studies on the flora and fauna of the biotope report that there are threatened fauna populations therein, although there is very scant information about the degree of pressure and degradation upon them.
The biotope is critically threatened due to the several threats it faces, to the isolation of the area and because protection and preservation efforts of the diversity have not been successful. Emergency actions are deemed necessary to prevent further erosion of the area; future recuperation seems even more difficult. There is still time, however, to revert the situation, at least for an important part of the biotope. Continuous emergency efforts may guarantee the conservation of the biological diversity of the aquatic habitats, while restoration of most of the land habitats must be planned for a gradual recuperation of the area.
The most pressing problem that needs to be addressed is permanent human intervention, which has brought about very serious deforestation and fragmentation of the protected area, and the erosion of the flora and fauna species therein. The area has never been under the control of any institution, and the ever-growing human activities make it pivotal. The presence of exotic flora and fauna species is also worrisome. These three problems need to be urgently addressed if the biotope is to be preserved and if the losses are to be restored. It is critical to take control of the area and to implement an immediate solution to human intervention. CECON must enforce the law, especially in regards to invasions of the protected area or when the natural heritage is being tampered with. This is the only way that CECON will clearly transmit that it has the capability and is willing to preserve the area it manages.
The case of the Chocón Machacas Biotope is somehow comparable to that of the Sierra del Lacandón National Park, which was inhabited before the area was declared as protected (ParksWatch, 2003a). Although the Park tried to involve the population that was carrying out illegal activities and promoted production projects, both efforts were not enough to control the problems (ParksWatch, 2003b). In Chocón Machacas, sustainable development projects to alleviate the pressure upon the forest have been promoted, but have not produced desired results. In the event that such efforts promoting sustainable development to contribute to the conservation of a protected area fail, then ultimately those projects take away attention and investment from other priority activities needed to reduce threats in the biotope, such as control, vigilance and law enforcement.
The new master plan being carried out for the biotope must establish a program for each one of the threats identified for the area, including objectives and clear aims to revert depletion before the plan expires in five years, or at least to have achieved substantial advances in that timeframe. Success rates for each threat must be readily verifiable, to amend if needed. CONAP must comply with the established work profile and must demand that pertinent programs be included before the master plan is approved. The institution must also verify that the progress prescribed by the master plan is reached and, if no results are evident in the biotope in the short-term, a new administrator must be hired to manage the area and to assume the responsibility of implementing changes to the law.
