Indigenous Youth Use Digital Mapping to Save Sacred Forest in Guatemala
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📰 The quick summary: Young Kaqchikel Maya in San José Poaquil, Guatemala are using open mapping technology to protect their sacred forest, allowing them to monitor wildfires, deforestation, and illegal activities while also qualifying for ecosystem service payments.
📈 One key stat: The community has planted between 15 and 30 hectares of trees annually to restore their forest after losing 67 hectares of tree cover to fires between 2001 and 2024.
💬 One key quote: “Our legacy for the future is having young people who can continue caring for our communal forest using technology,” López says. “We hope more people will get involved to preserve our Indigenous Maya lands.”
1️⃣ The big picture: Indigenous Kaqchikel Maya youth in San José Poaquil, Guatemala have embraced technology to protect their ancestral communal forest. Beginning in 2022, they launched an open mapping project that georeferenced 75 hectares of land, documenting water sources, sacred sites, medicinal plant locations, and potential environmental threats. Through smartphones and drones, community volunteers captured detailed imagery every 100 meters throughout the forest. These digital maps now enable rapid responses to wildfires, track illegal logging, and support comprehensive forest management plans, combining traditional knowledge with modern technology.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: The mapping project empowers the community to actively defend their territory against environmental threats after winning legal title to their land in 2016. Online maps have already proven effective during the 2024 wildfire season, enabling quick response to fire hotspots and minimizing damage. The detailed mapping data qualified the community for payments for ecosystem services, providing funds to invest in further protective measures. Young Indigenous people are combining ancestral knowledge with modern technology, including developing AI-based acoustic sensors to detect illegal logging. This technological approach ensures intergenerational stewardship of the forest that serves as both a critical water source and sacred cultural site.
3️⃣ What’s next: The community will receive ecosystem service compensation payments from July 2025 to April 2026. These funds will help acquire equipment to strengthen surveillance against illegal activities and support forest restoration after wildfires. Young community members plan to use some funds to fully develop their prototype of AI-based acoustic sensors to detect illegal logging.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – In Guatemala, young Kaqchikel Maya protect their sacred forest with open mapping
