Welcome To Earth’s Newest Nature Reserve: Protection Of The Great Maya Forest

In a historic move for the planet’s biodiversity, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize have officially joined forces to create the Biocultural Corridor of the Great Maya Jungle – 14 million acres (5.7 million hectares) of rainforest reserve.

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"We should be proud to be able to say to the world: we join our will to preserve and restore the legacy of this extraordinary biological and cultural wealth. Today's agreement is historic, it is beautiful,” said the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, in a press release. 

This tri-national alliance, officially signed on August 15, 2025, will create the second-largest tropical rainforest reserve in Latin America, second only to the Amazon. That’s right, the corridor spans across 50 different reserve areas: 12 in Mexico, 27 in Guatemala, and 11 in Belize.

Why is this such a big deal? For starters, this newly established reserve isn’t only about land – it's about life. More than 7,000 species will be protected, such as jaguars, tapirs, and spider monkeys. This includes supporting 200 endangered species and 50 priority species in urgent need of protection.

Also, the agreement acknowledges that the Maya Forest isn’t only home to wildlife. Iconic inhabitants also include Indigenous and local communities who have managed and protected the land for centuries. The Declaration recognizes these native Maya and Afro-descendant communities as guardians of the land and encourages these communities, along with academics and businesses, to take part in protecting the environment.

"We are not only protecting an ecosystem, but also honoring the legacy of the civilization that once flourished in these territories,” added the Prime Minister of Belize, John Antonio Briceño.

This ensures that sustainable sources, traditional knowledge, and cultural heritage are all part of the conservation plan.

In the grand scheme of things, protecting this land isn't just a win for biocultural diversity; it’s a key strategy to reduce carbon emissions, regulate rainfall, and buy Earth a little more time to fix its climate crisis. Latin America’s vast green spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate; for example, the Brazilian Amazon has suffered a loss of 20 percent of its forest in recent decades thanks to deforestation.  

“Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize demonstrate once again that our political borders do not divide, but rather unite efforts to preserve one of the last lungs of the planet and the living heritage of the Maya peoples,” Briceño continued.

But it's not going to be easy. These areas have long faced threats from illegal logging, poaching, mining, wildfires, and climate change.

To tackle the challenges together, the nations will share information, technology, and training on managing fires, stopping illegal logging, and preventing deforestation. Thanks to this agreement, the outcome should have greater success.  

“Today, Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize, our three governments, take a step forward because by protecting the Great Maya Jungle, we protect life and diversity and honor history to protect the future," said the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo.

The three nations aren’t just saving a forest; they’re safeguarding a cultural and ecological treasure that could inspire the whole world on how we protect our planet’s last wild places. The Great Maya Forest just got a seriously powerful protector trio. And honestly, it's about time someone did.