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El Pilar |
| Client: | El Pilar | |||
| Address: | Norberto Pulido | |||
| City/Town/Village: | Santa Elena | District: Cayo | Country: Belize | |
| Phone: | 501 824-3612 | Fax: | Phone2: 501 621-4540 | |
| Website: |  Upgrade to a Premier Listing |
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| Email: |  Send private email |
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| Photo Gallery: |  Upgrade to a Premier Listing |
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| Video: |  Upgrade to a Premier Listing |
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| Description: | As an archaeologist determined to understand the origins of the Maya civilization, I have pioneered an unconventional path to explain the rise of ancient civilization in the tropical Maya forest. I have combined evidence ranging from archaeology to zoology to interpret the sustainable basis of the Maya in one of the world's last terrestrial frontiers: the tropics. Along the way, many challenges have arisen, but none with the complexity of El Pilar. Astride the contemporary border separating Belize from Guatemala, El Pilar has been the focus of my bold conservation design for an international friendship park on a troubled border. The vision I have for El Pilar is founded on the preservation of our cultural heritage in the context of the natural environment. I have built a collaborative and interdisciplinary team of local villagers, government administrators, and scientists who are now strategically poised to transform the El Pilar vision to a reality. Now is the moment for action. Park management is fundamental to the long-term research and development plan as well as to the reserve's future. Informed designs are based on cultural and ecological research. Identification of key actors, incorporation of public interests, articulation of the mission, and a clear set of objectives for the sustainable management of the reserve are essential. Finally, the extent of conservation goals, issues of access and education, and the long-term funding needs must be developed. The program is at a critical juncture. All the actors have been identified: the community, the governmental administration, and the interdisciplinary research components in both countries. The object now is to develop a strategic plan for one El Pilar. The El Pilar vision incorporates concerns and desires for both resource conservation and economic development. A balance between short-term strategies for community involvement and long-term concerns for conservation of the ancient architecture and the environment is vital. Educational and interpretive designs for the park and surrounding landscape are also important. These facets depend on the results of integrated, collaborative, and interdisciplinary team and are crucial to establishing the reserve on a secure and permanent base. The natural environment, cultural resources, adjacent contemporary peoples, and access for tourism all figure prominently in the master research and development plan as well the ultimate model, the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna. |
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