Address:

5a. calle, 5-41 Amtitlán

Municipio Amatitlán, Guatemala.

 

Phone number:

+502/633-4725

Fax:

+502/633-7871

Email:

fundalago@yahoo.com

Mission statement:

The Save Lake Amatitlán Foundation works in compliance with the peace accords to build a sustainable society through the conservation and protection of Lake Amatitlán and its surrounding ecosystems. The Foundation collaborates with organizations to build a sustainable society that uses renewable and non-renewable resources appropriately.

 

Community leaders make a socio-environmental contribution through soil and water conservation, agricultural production, forestry, and environmental protection. With sustainable development as a goal, recycling, agroforestry, agricultural production, community participation, participation of women, and technical training activities are carried out.

 

These initiatives will help to recover the Lake Amatitlán watershed and promote sustainable development, and will ensure sound natural resource management from the Foundation and the community.

Objectives:

• Promote the recovery, conservation, and protection of Lake Amatitlán and the surrounding environment through citizen participation.
• Plan and direct projects that contribute to the recovery of the lake in compliance with the environmental protection stipulations of the peace accords.
• Disseminate the environmental protection stipulations of the peace accords by engaging communities in socio-environmental projects that promote sustainable development.
• Obtain support for the Foundation through exchanges and coordination with national and international organizations.
• Promote the participation of women in sustainable development activities to create new examples of conscious and effective involvement.

Amatitlán Lake is located a few kilometers south of the Guatemalan capital. Along the northwestern shore is a town by the same name. From the town, a road with a panoramic view stretches out to the southeast along the lake, close to the sides of the Pacay volcano. This body of non-potable water is 6.84 miles (11 km) long and 2.7 miles (3.5 km) wide. Studies have confirmed that in the year 1800, the depth of the lake was 108 feet (33 m) and by 1996 it was down to 59 feet (18 m). It is estimated that by 2016, if nothing is done to save the lake, it will have become a marsh of 25 feet (7.5 m) in depth.

The human history of the lake is one of the most ancient in the world. Archeological remains that date back to 2000 B.C. have been found around the lake, and jade, bone, and clay artifacts have been retrieved from its depths. The town of Amatitlán has been valued for the fertility of its land since its foundation in 1536.

Projects:

1. Environmental Education in Communities of Amatitlán

   Summary: Fundación para la Salvación del Lago de Amatitlán is promoting environmental education to the local communities in Amatitlán, Guatemala. This area is especially important because the Lake Amatitlán watershed is one of the most populated in the world, with a population density of approximately 11,000 residents per square kilometer in some areas.

2. Reforestation for Awareness-Raising and Environmental Education, Guatemala

   Summary: This project aims to protect and conserve Lake Amatitlán in Guatemala by implementing a reforestation project and creating environmental awareness among the primary and secondary students from the town of Amatitlán, through training events to develop the skills necessary for creating forestry plantations to restore local forests.

 

Principal accomplishments:

• Carried out activities in:
  • Community environmental education.
  • Ecotourism development.
  • Reforestation.
  • Creation of tree nurseries.
  • Creation of a recreational park.
  • Recycling.
  • Technical training for women.

Publications:

• www.eco-index.org/search/pdfs/FUNDALAGO.pdf

  Document with photos of Fundalago projects and Lake Amatitlán.

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