
Guardians of the Forest
On the frontlines of Guatemala’s conservation are the rangers, known locally as guardarecursos.
Guatemala is one of the most biodiverse countries in the Americas, a land where dense rainforests, highland cloud forests, rivers, and mountains shelter extraordinary species found nowhere else. But these ecosystems are threatened daily by deforestation, wildlife trafficking, and land conflicts. Rangers are often the first to confront these pressures, yet their efforts remain invisible. Too often conservation is depicted through images of untouched wilderness, erasing the presence of those who defend it.