tourism. Although the archeological value of the region initially played a large part in the formation of the reservation, the reservation currently focuses mostly on the protection of the forests. According to tradition, La Ciudad Blanca is located in the region. Over the years, many professional and amateur archeologists have claimed to find it, but none have produced credible evidence and most professionals remain skeptical that it ever existed. Local population The reserve is home for more than 2,000 indigenous people and a growing number of migrant inhabitants. The population includes four very different and unique cultural groups: Miskito, Pech, Garifunas, and the ladino. The smaller groups, the Pech, Garifunas, and Miskito inhabitants live mostly in the north, alongside the river. These people have a variety of rights to the land and mostly use the land for agriculture. The smaller-scale agriculture of the Pech is easily made sustainable. Many of the largest group, the ladino, entered the reserve from the south. Conflict over land rights is a prominent source of conflict between ethnic groups. Current conflict over land rights involves non native peoples invading and threatening indigenous land owners—forcing them from their historical lands. Conservation In 1996 the reserve received the World Heritage in Danger designation. A reserve management plan, implemented in 2000, included macrozoning, subzoning, and specific plans for conservation issues. The macrozoning plan established buffer zones, cultural zones, and nucleus zones. The overall threat, especially in the nucleus zones, had decreased in 2006 recognizing a significant improvement in conservation efforts, leading to the removal of the World Heritage in Danger designation in 2007. From recent investigations in 2010 and 2011, however, it appears that what ever gains were initially recognized, that is not the case currently. UNESCO recently (2011) did a mission to the Rio Plátano and found illegal activity within the core zone. Drug smuggling, clearing of land for cattle grazing, and illegal fishing and hunting along the river are currently happening. In 2011, UNESCO placed the reserve on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The area is protected by policy from the Department of Protected Areas & Wildlife, State Forestry Administration in Honduras, and receives some funding from the World Wildlife Fund and other private organizations. A number of governmental and non-governmental organizations and committees have developed and implemented conservation plans in the region. The main goal of the reserve is to protect the land