Ecological Brigade
A military unit trained to protect the natural resources and archeological sites of Guatemala has started permanent patrols in the national parks of Tikal and Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo in Peten to avoid invasions and lost of flora and fauna. This brigade has 50 soldiers and two officers with knowledge to fight wild fires and to assist in humanitarian and rescue missions. Their main goal is to protect and take care of the natural reserves of Guatemala. This group of soldiers received information about flora, fauna and the value and dimensions of the archeological sites. Within their purview is to help lost turists and also to disuade invasion attempts and illegal entry to the parks.
Another group of the military is also being trained so that they can start the same proyect in the Sierra del Lacandon National Park. The patrols are done in the limits of the parks with the goal of avoiding new invasions. These soldiers spend day and night in the jungle and patrol on foot. They also have a boat to patrol the Yaxha lagoon and to help preventing the hunting of crocodiles.
