Promising partnership in Guatemala

Whalewatching continues to grow globally with new markets emerging. Guatemala is the latest country seeking to develop whale watch operations off its Pacific coast focusing on the annual migration of humpback whales that migrate through their waters December through June. The humpbacks are thought to be en route to/from their breeding and calving grounds off Costa Rica, and likely spend their summer months feeding near central California northward to BC, Canada.
Greg Kaufman, founder of Pacific Whale Foundation recently traveled to the small coastal community of Montericco, Guatemala — best known for its 20km- long nature reserve of coast and coastal mangrove wetlands — to speak with tour operators about whalewatching and learn first-hand their challenges and whale observations.

Kaufman meets with Juan Rivera, INGUAT (Guatemala Tourism Board), Dr. Galvez and assistant, CONAP (National Protected Areas), and local environmentalist Max Baldetty.

Small coastal communities in Guatemala still largely rely on the ocean for sustenance.

Guatemala has 150 miles of black sand beaches..

Whale Watching marketing for the Pacific coast of Guatemala.

Greg Kaufman meets with Ed Capmany, owner of Whale Watch Guatemala to discuss challenges and future direction of whalewatcing in Guatemala.

The department of tourism, INGUAT, reached out to Kaufman for advice on this new developing industry. They stressed the importance of wanting to take a scientific approach to cultivate sustainable tourism in the area. Kaufman shared his thoughts on regulation and responsible practices.

Located between Mexico and Honduras, Guatemala is a country of extreme biodiversity. With deserts to the east, mountains to the west, jungles in the north and volcanoes occupying any space in between, this Central American nation is renowned for its vast ecosystems. However, industrial exploitation is threatening to destroy the country’s environment and the wildlife that live in it.

It is common to see people in small communities in traditional dress, known as the Archaic People,” they were the first settlers in Antigua.

Under its Sea Turtle Conservation Program, ARCAS operates the most productive of the 28 hatcheries in Guatemala. In 1993, ARCAS initiated its conservation activities in the Hawaii area primarily as an attempt to counteract threats to leatherback and olive ridley turtle populations by over-harvesting of eggs by local collectors. Despite their endangered status, virtually all sea turtle nests in Guatemala are poached and the eggs sold as a supposed aphrodisiac; clearly not necessary given a population growth rate of nearly 3%.

Guatemala’s biodiversity receives some level of protection within the System of Protected Areas, which covers about a third of the country. Unfortunately, many of the protected areas are “paper parks”, with a lack of management and true protectio in situ.

Guatemala City under clouds with Agua, Fuego and Acatenango volcanoes in background.

Volunteers at the ARCAS turtle sanctuary Hawaii on Guatemala’s pacific coast, rescue various exploited wildlife including captured parrots, where they are rehabilitated and offspring are reintroduced to the wild.

Organizations such as ARCAS, a non-profit group of Guatemalan citizens dedicated to protect their natural heritage and wildlife, in Monterrico, work to protect the green turtle population. Environmentalists, such as Magali del Rey and Max Baldetty, have worked to protect the manatees in Rio Dulce and coral reefs off Guatemala’s Caribbean coast.
Kaufman plans to assist in the protection and regulation of the whales and help develop best whalewatch practices together with INGUAT (Guatemala National Tourism Authority) and CONAP (National Advisory for Protected Areas). The overarching goal of this cooperative partnership will be to develop a foundation for sustainable and culturally sensitive whale eco-tours on Guatemala’s Pacific coast. Kaufman plans to present Guatemala’s proposed plans to the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) whalewatch subcommittee meetings in San Diego this May for review and endorsement. Kaufman is as an Invited Participant to the IWC’s Scientific Committee and is a whalewatch representative to the IWC Conservation Committee. Kaufman plans to return to Guatemala in the fall to run operator training programs and workshops.
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