Association for Sustainable Development (ADES)

Address:

11 venida 7-38 zona 1, anexo Edificio Recinos, oficina 101. 

          Zona 1, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala

Phone number:

+502/2251-4510, 5319-2766

Fax:

+502/2251-4510

Email:

adesostenible@hotmail.com

Executive director:

María Socorro Tzoc Jiménez

Year founded:

1994

Mission statement:

Contribute to a change in citizen behavior toward responsible production and consumerism, based on the principles and values of sustainable development.

• Educate and train citizens in the rational use of resources and how to avoid environmental contamination.

• Create, execute, and evaluate sustainable development projects related to tourism, agriculture, natural resource use, or the management of water, soil, air, plant, or animals.

• Manage natural ecosystems.

Description of the area where organization works:

ADES carries out its work in various regions of Guatemala.

It works in the Department of Santa Rosa, specifically on the conservation of the Ayarza Lagoon - a body of water of volcanic origin with unique scenic beauty. Its waters are slightly sulfurous and minimally contaminated. The problem in this zone is the severe deterioration of the watershed, which will deteriorate the lagoon if not managed sustainably.

Projects:

1. Conservation of the Ayarza Lagoon

   Summary: The Ayarza Lagoon is one of the seven most important bodies of water in Guatemala and the unique features of its ecosystem merit its inclusion as an area for special protection. Since 2003, the Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP) has worked with the Asociación para el Desarrollo Sostenible to co-manage the site, one of the first steps for the conservation and management of the lagoon...

2. Private Natural Reserve and Cascadas de Tatasirire Ecotourism Park in Jalapa, Guatemala

   Summary: The Natural Private Reserve is located at 2,300 meters above sea level on Cerro Miramundo in the department and municipality of Jalapa in Guatemala. Declared a reserve by the National Council for Protected Areas of Guatemala, the area is administered by the Sustainable Development Association (Asociación de Desarrollo Sostenible). The Cascadas de Tatasirire ecotourism project is carried out in the reserve based on the principles of sustainable development and ecotourism.

Principal accomplishments:

• Project management was rewarded by the World Bank and the Soros Foundation in 2003 for the Cascadas de Tatasirire Ecotourism Park in Jalapa, Guatemala. The project was selected from among 20 at the national level for its creativity, for being a model that contributes to rural development and has a social conscience, and for being a project that could be replicated in other zones. Co-management of the Cascadas de Tatasirire Private Natural Reserve and co-administration of the Ayarza Lagoon Protected Area have been achieved.
• A fruit tree nursery was established in San Jerónimo, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala.

Volunteers:

Volunteers can stay overnight in the Cascadas de Tatasirire Ecotourism Park, from which they can make visits to other areas such as the Ayarza Lagoon Protected Area.

Volunteer opportunities include biodiversity inventories, maintenance of installations, sustainable farming and ranching, and visitor orientation.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to become acquainted with local culture, customs, traditional farming, biodiversity, and they can appreciate the scenic beauty. They can also practice the Spanish language and local phrases.

Food, lodging, and transportation to the site costs approximately US$250.00 per person for seven days, in a group of at least five people.

Publications:

• A proposal to the Guatemalan government stemming from the experiences of the Cascadas de Tatasirire project. Published February 2, 2004 by the Guatemalan official gazette (Diario de Centroamérica). In Spanish.
• La Globalización, ensayo de interpretación (Globalization, exercise for interpretation). Mariano Portillo. Written in 2001 and revised in 2004. Analyzes globalization and its effects and impacts on Guatemalan society. In Spanish.
• Participacion Multisectorial – para realizar la democracia (Multisectoral Participation – for achieving democracy). Mariano Portillo. October 2007. Analysis based on the book “The Commission for Multisectoral Participation.” In Spanish.
• “El Turismo Responsable – con base en el desarrollo sostenible (Responsible tourism – based on sustainable development).” Mariano Portillo. 2004. Describes how tourism can be an effective source of income when it is developed sustainably. It focuses on the department of Jalapa, Guatemala. In Spanish.
• Photos of the Ayarza Lagoon and the Tatasirire waterfall. 
• More articles can be found at www.cascadasdetatasirire.com/articulosrelacionados.htm. In Spanish.