In Harmony with the Environment
Ak’ Tenamit’s project site and many of the communities it serves are located in Río Dulce National Park, which is why we have long promoted ways for local people to live n harmony with the environment. Farmers still practice slash-and-burn agriculture in the area, so Ak’ Tenamit promotes sustainable agriculture and income alternatives – including ecotourism – that decrease the need to cut trees to plant food crops.

In conjunction with the Guatemala’s parks department – CONAP – Ak’ Tenamit has run campaigns to discourage hunting and deforestation in the area. The project’s education program has also produced a “Teacher's Guide for Environmental Education” that was approved by Guatemala's Ministry of Education and is being used in our region’s schools. All students learn about the importance of the environment and the need to use natural resources wisely, and they share that information with their parents and neighbors. Just as important is the fact that the project’s income generation program has helped groups of men and women to set up artisan cooperatives that make handicrafts from corn husks, palm seeds and other renewable materials, and has helped one community open a small ecolodge, all of which provides sustainable economic alternatives to cutting the forest and hunting.