Wildlife trafficking enforcement

ARCAS works closely with the Guatemalan
green police, DIPRONA.

Although it emphasizes the importance of environmental education in stopping animal trafficking, ARCAS also recognizes the need to enforce existing national and international laws. ARCAS works together with its government counterparts the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) and the Guatemalan green police (DIPRONA) to strengthen enforcement of wildlife laws in Guatemala, offering training courses, conducting anti-trafficking patrols and carrying out awareness-raising campaigns. These wildlife trafficking enforcement activities are supported in part by by the Humane Society International, USAID and the US State Department.

Much of the work that ARCAS carries out as its project sites is community development work. Here, meeting with the hawaii Development Committee



In a country as poor and with so much inequality as Guatemala, any conservation effort must necessarily go hand-in-hand with sustainable community development activities and ARCAS has in the past carried out activities such as the following with local communities:

     
Ecotourism Efficient wood-burning stove project
ARCAS is promoting the use of the 'Justa' wood burning stove, which saves up to70% on the use of firewood while removing harmful wood smoke from the home. It also uses tha stove as a way to conduct gener activities in more conservative communities of the country.

      Water and sanitation
Thanks to the support of the Japanese Embassy's APC Fund, ARCAS carried out a portable water project in the Hawaii area. Education

      Disaster Relief
ARCAS has been working for the last 5 years with the community of ElRosario which was hit hard by the Hurricane Stan and continues to suffer from the eastward migration of the Los Esclavos rivermouth. Here the school on the verge of collapsing into the river. Gender
Gender workshop being held at the Parque Hawaii

     Alternative income-generating projects
Cooking class at Parque Hawaii