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Maya Leader Say Forestry Is Facilitating Exploitation Of Their Rosewood
posted (August 11, 2011)
The issue of Rosewood extraction in Southern Belize has been exciting public opinion in the Toledo District for some weeks now.

The Maya Leaders' alliance issued a statement today saying that there is, quote, "rampant extraction of this very rare species with no intervention from the relevant authorities including the Forest Department."

A week ago, the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association met with Chief Forest Officer Wilber Sabido and his Deputy Marcelo Windsor.

They say Sabido committed to cease the stamping of all logs as of Monday August 7th.

But now they say that logs continue to be stamped without permits or licenses.

They say Sabido has stopped taking their calls and containers were being loaded with Rosewood up to yesterday.

Of course, the wrinkle in this is that Land Rights Case where the Ministry of Natural Resources is limited form making stipulations upon land considered to be maya communal property. So - the mayan leaders alliance claims that Forestry personell have been telling the Maya people that it is their lands and therefore they can do whatever they want including extract Rose wood without a license. The leader says business owners then come and buy or credit these logs at anywhere from $3.50 -3.75 per board foot - with the Forest Officer who then stamps these logs.

So what do the mayan leaders have to say about their own people facilitating the rosewood plunder? We quote: "our communities have been manipulated to leap for this rash economic opportunity and in these ever challenging times - How can we blame them?" End quote.

The release does close by saying that, quote, "Finally, we encourage the Maya people to stand up and realize that you are selling out too cheap."

We could not reach the Chief Forestry Officer for comment.

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