Some Background on This Project

Expedicion Atitlan 2012:

Capacity Building Within Guatemalan Institutions for Understanding Changes and Monitoring Health

Lake Atitlan is located in the highlands of Guatemala and has been described as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

In recent years the lake’s ecology has undergone dramatic alteration due to increasing pollution. In December 2008, the lake underwent a dramatic regime shift when a large cyanobacterial algal bloom occurred.

The news about the bloom spread quickly with local residents concerned about the clarity, ecology, and “health” of the lake. There has been very little limnological research at the lake with a shortage of information to understand the mechanisms contributing to the lake’s alteration. In April 2010, a team of international researchers arrived at Lake Atitlan to work with their Guatemalan counterparts to initiate a collaboration to understand lake processes and conserve the lake and assist the residents of Guatemala in understanding why the lake was changing.

 With funding from USAID, the Expedicion Atitlan 2012 strives to build Guatemala's capacity to monitor environmental conditions at Lake Atitlan, to promote scientifically sound policy decision making among local and national leaders concerning the lake, and to educate members of lake communities on the importance of environmental stewardship on their health and livelihoods. 

The main objectives of this program will address detrimental environmental and man-made impacts on Lake Atitlán through:

1. Promotion and strengthening of existing monitoring/ research programs and development of a long-term, scientifically based monitoring framework across the watershed (lake, river, land, atmosphere).

2. Compilation and quality control of existing lake and river data and place this information into a database available to all parties working to conserve Lake Atitlán.

3. Creation of infrastructure in Guatemalan institutions through the purchase of modern laboratory and field instrumentation that can be deployed and maintained by Guatemalan institutions in the future.

4. Training of young Guatemalan scientists in the proper use of this instrumentation, data analysis, and sharing information with policy makers through public-friendly reports and presentations to implement programs that will restore Lake Atitlán.

5. Development and implementation of a communication and sustainability strategy for this initiative that can jointly contribute to the economic development of the Lake Atitlán Watershed.

We are all excited to work together and get started on this exciting project!!!