Abstract

LAAKO, Hanna; RAMOS MUNOZ, Dora; PLIEGO ALVARADO, Esmeralda  and  MARQUEZ, Beula. Eco-frontier building in the Maya Forest borderlands. Estud. front [online]. 2022, vol.23, e105.  Epub Oct 16, 2022. ISSN 2395-9134.  https://doi.org/10.21670/ref.2221105.

The concept of eco-frontierexamines the actions of ecological actors to analyze the ways in which these contribute to transform biodiversity-rich territories. Eco-frontiers are discursive and spatial appropriations that evolve in different historical stages. This article analyzes the case of the Maya Forest as an emerging eco-frontier since the 1970s. The Maya Forest is a concept constructed by ecological actors to conserve tropical rainforest that covers the border region between Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Based on analysis of various first-hand materials, the article shows how the construction of the Maya Forest-concept has transformed the borderland into a scenic eco-region subject to tropical conservation. Simultaneously, the appropriation of the Maya in its scientific and touristic dimension suggests the construction of international biocultural borderlands. However, the issue of Indigenous rights, multicultural context and that of multispecies remain subject to debate.

Keywords : border; frontier; conservation; ecological actors; territories; Mesoamerica.

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