AgroAmerica Supports the Conservation of Scarlet Macaws in the Mayan Biosphere of Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Recently, 26 scarlet macaws were freed in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve with the support of AgroAmérica, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Fundación Solidaridad Latinoamericana, and the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP, by its Spanish acronym).

This was done with the purpose of increasing the number of these specimens in the Maya Biosphere Reserve and, therefore, contributing to the strengthening of the wild population of scarlet macaws. After their release it is estimated that there are about 300 macaws in the reserve.

"Macaws are increasingly threatened by poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, in addition to habitat loss, driven largely by intentional forest fires, livestock and the expansion of human settlements," WCS reported.

"At AgroAmerica, we are fully committed to supporting activities to protect and maintain riparian zones in the areas in where we conduct agricultural operations, and in areas of biological importance for the country," Fernando Bolaños, CEO of AgroAmérica, said.

To fulfill this commitment, the agro-industrial food company, AgroAmérica, signed an agreement with WCS and Fundación Solidaridad to strengthen the Guatemalan System of Protected Areas (SIGAP, by its Spanish acronym) through the implementation of pilot projects to restore and maintain the landscape, according to the strategies of CONAP and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN by its Spanish acronym).

The agreement seeks to support the conservation of 19,000 hectares of forest at Laguna del Tigre National Park. This is to help protect and monitor endangered species and their habitats, including animals such as scarlet macaws, jaguars, white-lipped peccaries, tapirs and white turtles. This will assist us in maintaining natural ecosystems (forests, wetlands and savannas) protected from threats like fires, invasions and other illegal activities in the ecosystems of the project area.

AgroAmérica also joined the environmental conservation project of the Foundation of Cultural and Natural Maya Patrimony (PACUNAM, by its Spanish acronym) to contribute to the protection of the cultural and natural heritage, such as the tropical forest and the flora and fauna of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala.

"At AgroAmerica we implement a Zero Deforestation policy, we share good practices and field experiences related to the RSPO standard; we actively participate in technical roundtables that seek to manage and develop sustainable landscapes and we support specific reforestation and conservation projects," Bolaños stated.

The freeing of macaws is one of the many projects promoted by AgroAmérica.

About AgroAmérica

AgroAmérica is an agro-industrial company dedicated to the production and commercialization of food products, through the use of sustainable and responsible cultivation methods. Our company has operations in Europe, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama. AgroAmérica operates on the basis of a corporate sustainability strategy to generate value and balance between economic growth, natural resource conservation and the well-being of its customers and stakeholders.