use of the forest resources. This approach appears to have more promise. Environmental issues Environmental issues include destructive forestry, land clearance for grazing livestock and clearance for cultivation of illegal drugs. Rare animal species are at risk from illegal hunting, and valuable trees such as mahogany and cedar are extracted through illegal forestry. Construction of Federal roads may cause loss of continuity between the different forest areas. In the Uxpanapa area more than 80% of the original cover has been lost, and in the Ocote area 40%. Loss of original cover has been relatively low in Los Chimalapas area. At the end of the dry season in early 1998 there were extensive forest fires in the region, affecting over 200,000 hectares. The season had been exceptionally dry, partly due to El Niño. When the rains came, flooding resulted and since then land productivity has fallen. Various theories were put forward to explain the fires, ranging from slash and burn clearing within the forest and deliberate burns to remove stubble from farmland that ran out of control to a plot by the government to create the fires from the air. Some pointed out that much of the burned land was in the area that would be covered by the proposed dam and highway. The implication that fires were set deliberately is based on the belief that there are powerful interests who would like to see the region exploited for its lumber and farmland potential, and to see the large hydropower potential put to work. The forest has been designated "outstanding at a bioregional level" by the World Bank and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and has been recognized as a Global 200 ecoregion. The government has recognized the rights of the communities in Chimalapas to be involved in conservation planning. The Maderas rainforest conservancy has been active in the area, seeking to prevent further fires and encourage sustainable land use. The WWF has also been active in attempting to encourage conservation efforts in the Chimalapas area. The area of El Ocote is now protected, although with mixed results. Pronatura Chiapas and Pronatura Veracruz are also working on conservation projects in the area. The goal is to improve environmental protection while supporting sustainable use of the natural resources by the local population. However, it is difficult to strike a balance between protecting this unique environment, respecting the rights of the