The Reserva de la Biosfera Maya is supposedly the largest nature reserve in the world. Unfortunately the oil industry and illicit logging are shrinking it more and more each day. Another threat are the thousands of migrants; as soon as a road has been built into the jungle people looking for land come along and burn large areas to make room for themselves. However, the soil of Petén is thin so for agricultural purposes it is only useful for a few years. After that the families move on to make some space for themselves elsewhere, leaving the land to the cattle ranchers. This is how more and more of the jungle is depleted, and the cycle goes on and on. What’s left of the reserve is now being maintained by foreign funding and conservation organisations, with ecotourism being high on their list of ways to help sustain the area.