Updates  Lakes  Organizations 

Sustainable Management of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

In 2004, LakeNet signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with PROLAGO (Asociación para la Protección Ambiental del Lago Atitlán). Through this important international partnership, LakeNet and PROLAGO will cooperate to protect Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, one of the most valuable natural resources of Guatemala.

PROLAGO, a local nonprofit organized in the year 2000 and legally established in 2002, was organized by citizens inspired by the work of Guatemalan environmentalist Juan Skinner Alvarado, who for more than a decade has been advocating for indigenous rights to a healthy lake landscape, inclusive policies, respect to their traditional resource use practices, and support to eliminate together the threats to their environment and nature. Mr. Skinner Alvarado also serves as regional representative for Central America on LakeNet's international steering committee.

In addition to representing the second most important attraction for tourism and a very important recreational resource for Guatemalans, PROLAGO is most interested in protecting the lake basin environment to sustain the benefits it provides to local indigenous people. PROLAGO’s members are lake neighbors, mostly professionals, with a long term concern for the interrelationship between the health of the lake and the quality of life of the indigenous people. The main purpose of PROLAGO is to sustain the benefits provided by Lake Atitlán to Guatemalan society, especially to the quality of life of indigenous communities in the lake basin.

Plans are underway for a special initiative focused on building the institutional capacity of PROLAGO to enable it to be an even more effective organization.

With the dissolution of the U.S.-based nonprofit known as "LakeNet" in 2008, this website is NO LONGER COLLECTING TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS to support local efforts to protect Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. Visit the Lake Atitlán Environmental Protection Society website to learn how you can help.

[top]

Updates

3/8/2005 - LakeNet and PROLAGO initiate cooperation for the sustainable management of Lake Atitlán

[top]

Participating Lakes

[top]

Participating Organizations

The following organizations are participating in this program:

[top]

Back to Community-based Initiatives