Illegal logging has been a persistent and disturbing problem in the Cayo district. But when Friends for Conservation, co-managers of the Chiquibul National Park noticed that the encroachment was happening much too close for comfort, they decided to carry out an assessment to document the magnitude of the situation. FCD's Rafael Manzanero maintains illegal logging is costing Belize millions of dollars in lost revenue. Within that context, today he shared the assessment team's recommendations on resolving the issue.
Jim McFadzean
"Why the focus on the Chiquibul area. Is it where primarily most of the illegal loggings taking place in this country?"
Rafael Manzanero, Friends for Conservation
"We have taken it as a responsibility for us really to access the impacts of illegal logging in the Chiquibul because we co-manage that area we co-manage the Chiquibul National Park. As co-managers we have a responsibility to identifying the threats in order to put the interventions or the measures or the activities, we are here to prevent it. In this case - the assessment - it gives us an idea about the magnitude of the problem. As a result we also have some key recommendations that we believe are very important really to address the issue."
Jim McFadzean
"What are some of those recommendations? Give me one or two of them that is important to immediately address the problem of illegal logging in the Chiquibul area."
Rafael Manzanero, Friends for Conservation
"In terms of key recommendations; one is we do require more of the resources on the ground. We find out that the activity taking place occurs during the day and also at night. We know that it requires special equipment. We know it requires more man-power. That is really our key limitations that we have and man-power it basically means for us really to have more rangers but also importantly we need to have our security on the ground because we talk about an environmental matter because we are environmentalist but along with that which is really a very delicate issue in the Chiquibil. Also it brings the national security element and thus security agencies in Belize like the police and BDF are required more there. That doesn't really mean that we don't have them because we do have some of the resources but very limited amount."
Manzanero says their investigations reveal that all the illegal activities happening in the Chiquibul are being carried out by Guatemalans.
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