Montes Azules Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico
Located between the Guatemalan border and the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, lies a tract of unprotected rainforest in danger of disappearing. This region bordering the Biosphere Reserve now has a chance at survival thanks to a series of conservation efforts established by Montes Azules.
In the absence of viable economic alternatives in an area suffering nearly 100 percent unemployment, local populations are utilizing the forest (including the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve) in an unsustainable manner for such subsistence purposes as slash and burn agriculture and timber. Montes Azules is dedicated to the preservation of the Montes Azules Reserve and the surrounding region through the establishment of a buffer zone around the reserve's periphery. Local residents are provided with environmentally sensitive jobs in this buffer region, enabling them to utilize the rainforest in a sustainable manner.