MESA REDONDA 1997

by Anabel Ford, Ph.D

The El Pilar Program has research and development priorities that stem from the evolving role of collaborative participants. The results of the Mesa Redonda El Pilar provided the foundation for the program's international and multidisciplinary character, still in its inception, yet all components are firmly established. The ideal plan is conceived as a five year program with full funding, bringing the model to fruition with the dawn of the 21st century. While there is tremendous enthusiasm among a growing number of enlightened professionals, funding is still the most precarious aspect of the program's future. The vitality of the program depends on support, and the appeal here is to develop a secure support base that can bring the unique vision for El Pilar to full realization.

The priorities of the program are necessarily focused on the archaeology and how it informs and relates to the other components of the program. Consequently, the major attention initially will be on the archaeology and companion components which can be immediately incorporated into that arena. These include community participation, agriculture, conservation, and tourism. Support for initial phases have come primarily from the development sector and include the Government of Belize, US Agency for International Development, MacArthur Foundation, and Ford Foundation.

As the momentum builds, more and diverse funding sources should emerge as the level of participant involvement across components perceive goals more clearly. In addition, the nature of the program will ultimately require direct participation of the governments where El Pilar is situated. Major sources of international funding come from the World Bank, Inter American Development Bank, the European Union, USAID, to name a few. These organizations have experience in the archaeological arena in Central America. Participation at this level will strengthen the ability to bring the development goals of site conservation, community involvement, and tourism into focus. Government attention will also enhance private sector involvement locally and regionally, thus fueling ecotourism. As the program evolves and is consummated, the chronicle of the success will represent an important replicable conservation model for the developing world.

The development of a five year program has a projected annual budget of $1,300,000 US and associated infrastructural investment base of $1,400,000 US.