Officials in Guatemala have announced plans to occupy a recently closed oil field with the aim of increasing enforcement in protected areas badly hit by organized crime.

The Xan oil field inside Laguna del Tigre National Park, in northern Guatemala, will become a base for military and law enforcement personnel tasked with protecting the rainforest from illegal cattle ranching, logging and drug trafficking. The move has been billed as a major security and conservation win while also reducing the country’s economic dependence on fossil fuels.

“This marks the beginning of a process of taking control of a vast portion of the national territory that has long been open to all kinds of actors who often exploit it for illicit activities,” President Bernardo Arévalo said during a speech about the new facility.

The oil field, formerly operated by Anglo-French firm Perenco, produced between 5,000 and 7,000 barrels of crude oil a day, accounting for around 90% of national output. But the extraction process was water-intensive and posed pollution risks, leading the government to deem it unprofitable.

The operation was also controversial because of its location inside Laguna del Tigre National Park, a 337,899-hectare (834,967-acre) protected area within the Maya Biosphere Reserve. The reserve spans millions of hectares and connects northern Guatemala with protected forests in Belize and southern Mexico, creating one of the largest biological corridors in Mesoamerica.

The government chose not to renew the oil concession, which ended last month, but Perenco will still operate a pipeline until 2044. The country is investing in hydropower, solar and natural gas for its energy needs.

The Ministry of National Defense and the National Civil Police (PNC) will occupy the area and jointly carry out preventive patrols and maintain nearby infrastructure, PNC deputy director-general Esvin Jacinto said in a statement.

The government also announced increased collaboration efforts with Mexico and Belize.

“The first step is to begin closing the wells, and also to implement sustainable management, because Laguna del Tigre is a piece of the larger puzzle that is the great Maya forest,” said Jeanne Samayoa, head of the environmental movement Haciendo Eco.

Laguna del Tigre National Park is one of the worst-hit parts of the reserve, losing thousands of hectares every year to cattle ranching and illegal human settlements, some of them connected to criminal groups. The park has valuable timber that’s in demand in Asia and North America, while its isolated and flat terrain makes it ideal for drug planes landing from Colombia and Venezuela. Cattle ranching acts as a front for these activities and allows criminal groups to launder their drug profits.

In recent years, illegal cattle ranching has led to the spread of the screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), a fly that latches onto mammals. The fly spread through Central America in 2023 and 2024 as cattle crossed through protected areas. Cases are now being reported in southern Mexico.

“With increased state presence, local communities should finally have the opportunity to engage as allies in the management, restoration and sustainable development of Mesoamerica’s largest national park, including through habitat restoration concessions or other new approaches that offer a win-win for nature and local people alike,” WCS Guatemala program director Gabriela Ponce said in a statement to Mongabay.

The government’s increased presence in the area has been met with skepticism by some conservationists on the ground, who point out the reserve already has police and military personnel with little to show for it — in part because of rampant corruption.

Critics also say the armed forces aren’t active enough at crossing points on the Mexican border, where criminal groups still move freely.

“There’s a big political show going on right now,” said Francisco Asturias, coordinator of the Petén region for the Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation. “It’s not a new invention of these governments to claim they’re going to save the Maya Forest.”

President Arévalo took office last year after running an underdog campaign that emphasized environmental and Indigenous rights. In an interview with local media, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patricia Orantes said the government is trying to do a “180-degree” shift on conservation, with a special focus on the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

Her office said new mitigation measures will be taken against human settlements clearing protected areas for agriculture and cattle ranching. The government is also planning to increase the protected area services budget and create a $6.5 million environmental fund for forest protection, with an emphasis on the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

International funding is also being redirected from research to on-the-ground forest conservation, including a $55 million project in the northern department of Petén and an $8 million project overseen from the Central American Commission for Environment and Development.

“We must conserve [the Maya Forest] for the good of Guatemalans and for the world,” Orantes said. “Protecting the climate is our responsibility, and that is what we’re aiming for.”

Banner image: Military personnel at the Xan oil field. Image courtesy of Gobierno de Guatemala. 

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