The Chelemhá Cloud Forest Reserve
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| Location of the Chelemhá reserve in the department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. |
The private nature reserve - Reserva Privada Chelemhá - is managed by the conservationist NGO Unión para Proteger el Bosque Nuboso (UPROBON) - Union for protecting the cloud forest. The reserve ranges from 1900 to 2532 m above sea level and comprises about 500 ha
of primary cloud forest. Chelemhá is part of the Central American highlands, which is considered a priority area for conservation (Wege & Long 1995). A study in several Guatemalan cloud forest sites revealed the highest densities of Quetzals (Pharomachrus mocinno) in Chelemhá (Mühlenberg et al. 1989).
The name Chelemhá is a word in the local Maya Q’eqchi’ language, which can be translated as “Tree mirrors in the water”.
The reserve comprises part of the ridge of the Yalijux mountain. Cloud forests grow in Guatemala in altitudes over 1500 m, under very humid conditions. Therefore, they are naturally isolated from each other. Conversion of forest to agricultural land amplifies the isolation effect. In Chelemhá, conservation activities are developed in collaboration with the neighboring Maya Q’eqchi’ communities.
Chelemhá is an important part of the cloud forest corridor in central Guatemala. The conservation of this compound is essential for the survival of the unique flora and fauna of these forests. For example, Paiz (1996) evidenced migrations of Quetzals from the Sierra de las Minas mountain range, the largest continuous cloud forest area in Guatemala, to the Yalijux mountain range.
The importance of the Chelemhá reserve:
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| Cloud forests grow in the condensation zone and filter plenty of water from the clouds. |
- Conservation of one of the most endangered habitats on earth.
- Home to many species endemic to the Central American highlands.
- Refuge of endangered species, like the Highland Guan (Penelopina nigra) and the Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)
- Important element for the conservation of world wide biodiversity, including genetic diversity.
- Important part of the cloud forest corridor in central Guatemala.
- Part of the national and Mesoamerican system of biological corridors.
- Important watershed to provide drinking water to many indigenous communities.
- Conservation of part of the watershed of the Polochic river, one of the main rivers in Guatemala.
References
Mühlenberg, M. & Hovestadt, T. & Unger, D. (1989): Schutz des Nebelwaldes in Guatemala. unpubl. Bericht zum GTZ - Projekt PN 87.2253.0-01.100 "Bäuerliche Waldwirtschaft", Fabrikschleichach/Univ. Würzburg
Paiz, M.-C. (1996): Migraciones estacionales del Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno de la Llave) en la region de la
Sierra de las Minas, Guatemala y sus implicaciones para la conservación de la especie. Tesis, Universidad del
Valle de Guatemala.
Wege, D. C. & A. J. Long (1995): Key areas for threatened birds in the Neotropics. BirdLife COnservation Series, No. 5, BirdLife International, Cambridge.
