Lachuá Lake

Lachuá Lake is a karstic lake in Guatemala. It is located in the middle of a national park covered with tropical rain forest, northwest of Cobán, near the border between the departments of Alta Verapaz and El Quiché. The lake is near circular in shape and is probably a cenote or doline. The lake water has a slightly sulphurous smell, which may explain the origin of its name: "Lachuá" is derived from the Q'eqchi' words "la chu há" which means "the fetid water". The water contains a relatively high degree of calcite and tree branches fallen into the lake are quickly covered with a white calcite layer.[2][3]

Lachuá Lake
Lachuá Lake
LocationCobán, Guatemala
Coordinates15°55′N 90°40′W
TypeKarstic lake (cenote)
Primary inflowsPeyán River
Primary outflowsLachuá River
Basin countriesGuatemala
Surface area4 km2 (1.5 sq mi)
Max. depth222 m (728 ft)
Surface elevation173 m (568 ft)
Official nameEco-región Lachuá
Designated24 May 2006
Reference no.1623[1]

The Peyan river forms the principal water inflow and the Lachua river its main outflow.[2][4][5]

According to officials responsible for the protection of the park border, there have been incidents of intrusion by individuals and families as well as severe cases of illegal wood chopping since 2005. Those who have dared to protest this were often intimidated and threatened. The whole area around the park has been subject to heavy deforestation for the last decades.

National Park
Laguna Lachuá National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
LocationAlta Verapaz, Guatemala
Area145 km2 (56 sq mi)
Elevation173 m (568 ft)
Visitorsallowed
OperatorCONAP,
Ecoregión Lachuá
Websitelachua.org/index.php

In 1976 an area of 145 km² around the lake (15.919074°N 90.673084°W / 15.919074; -90.673084 (Laguna Lachuá)) was designated a national park.[6] Lachuá Lake and its buffer zone were also declared a Ramsar site in 2006.[7]

The park and adjacent buffer zone (known as "Eco-región Lachuá") is noted for its high biodiversity. With 120 species of mammals (50% of mammal species found in Guatemala), 30-40 species of reptiles, 177 bird species (40% of bird species in Guatemala), and 36 fish species[5] it is a sanctuary for a varied fauna population. These include fish like the diadromous tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), an ample variety of biogegraphically endemic Cichlid species,[5] reptiles like Morelet's Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii), Orangebelly Swamp Snake (Tretanorhinus nigroluteus); and mammals, like the Jaguar (Panthera onca), Cougar (Puma concolor), Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), the White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari), Spotted Paca (Agouti paca), Red Brocket (Mazama americana), and Spix's Disk-winged Bat (Thyroptera tricolor), and various monkeys species including the endangered Guatemalan Black Howler (Alouatta pigra).[2][8][9]

Waterbirds found in the park include the Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors), Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), Bare-throated Tiger-heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Green Heron (Butorides virescens), Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica), Limpkin (Aramus guarauna), and Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), [2][7]

References
  1. "Eco-región Lachuá". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. CONAP (2003). Plan Maestro Parque Nacional Laguna Lachuá, Cobán, Alta Verapaz. Guatemala: conap.gob.gt. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2010-01-10. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  3. "Show Caves of Guatemala - Laguna Lachua". showcaves.com. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  4. Granados Dieseldorff, Pablo (2001). Ictiofauna de la Laguna Lachua, Parque Nacional Laguna Lachua, Coban, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Guatemala Ciudad, Guatemala: Tesis de Licenciatura, Escuela de Biologia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.
  5. Granados-Dieseldorff, Pablo; Christensen, M. F.; Kihn, P. H. (2012). "Fishes from Lachuá Lake, Upper Usumacinta Basin, Guatemala". Check List. 8: 95–101. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  6. CONAP. "Listado de Áreas Protegidas (enero, 2011)" (in Spanish). conap.gob.gt. Archived from the original (xls) on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
  7. Eisermann, Knut (2006). Evaluation of waterbird populations and their conservation in Guatemala (pdf). Guatemala: Sociedad Guatemalteca de Ornitología. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  8. Baumgarten, Amrei (2000). Características poblacionales y uso de habitat del mono aullador negro (Alouatta pigra) en la zona de influencia del Parque Nacional Laguna Lachua, Alta Verapaz. Guatemala Ciudad, Guatemala: Tesis de Licenciatura, Escuela de Biologia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.
  9. Dix, Margareth & Juan F. Fernández (eds). Inventario Nacional de los Humedales de Guatemala (PDF) (in Spanish). Guatemala: UICN-ORMA, CONAP, USAC, CBMA. ISBN 9968-743-58-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
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