Paso Caballos is an indigenous Q'eqchí agricultural community strategically located near the entrance to Laguna del Tigre National Park and surrounding forest concessions. With a population of approximately 1,500, Paso Caballos has played a vital role in the conservation and management of these protected areas.

In 1997, the community signed an Intent Agreement with the State of Guatemala, through the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP), which recognized their right to reside in this area and granted them a territorial zone of 6,382.12 hectares, designated as the Community Management Unit (UMC). Each of the 112 families living in the community at the time of the agreement received a plot of land within this territory.

Conservation Agreements 

In 2010, WCS signed a second Conservation Agreement with Paso Caballos, under which the community made several key commitments: strictly managing agricultural burns to prevent forest fires in nearby areas, regulating migration and prohibiting new settlements, controlling and restricting livestock, and enhancing surveillance of the surrounding forests.

In return, the community receives support and technical assistance to strengthen local governance, along with improvements to educational and health infrastructure. Key achievements since the signing of the agreement include significant improvement in relations between the community and government authorities (CONAP), two fire seasons with effective internal control and no incidents, and successful management of threats related to protected area encroachment and community land sales.

Conservation Challenges

Paso Caballos faces significant conservation challenges, including strengthening community organization to ensure safe and controlled management of agricultural burns during the dry season, and regulating immigration into the community. Given the rapid population growth, improving education and health services is an immediate priority, along with promoting economic diversification through sustainable practices.

Thanks to the Conservation Agreement with CONAP, Paso Caballos has effectively reduced biodiversity threats in the surrounding forests, protecting habitats for emblematic species such as the Scarlet Macaw, Jaguar, Tapir, and Peccary. Today, Paso Caballos stands as an exemplary model of commitment and action in biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources in the region.