Maya Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 1990, in Guatemala. The Maya Biosphere Reserve in the Petén region of northern Guatemala, together with the Maya Forest of Belize and Mexico, represents one of the largest areas of tropical forest north of the Amazon and the northernmost tropical forest in the Western Hemisphere. It is also the site of three contiguous UNESCO biosphere reserves: the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, and the Calakmul and Montes Azules Biosphere Reserves in southern Mexico. The reserve has seven core areas, comprising four national parks and three wildlife reserves with lowland and mid-elevation forests, inundated savannas, small stands of pine, caves and rocky habitats, lakes and lagoons, rivers, wetlands and remnant mangrove forests. The multiple-use zone consists of tropical forest managed for the sustainable harvest of xate palms, chicle gum, allspice and timber.