There are 48 active illegal encroachments on the Western border within a radius of 90 kilometers, a recent FCD study shows. On the 12th of December, Friends for Conservation and Development along with the Belize Defense Force conducted an aerial reconnaissance mission from Arenal Village in Cayo to Santa Rosa in Toledo. The flight covered four protected areas: Vaca Forest Reserve, Caracol Archeological Reserve, Chiquibul National Park and Columbia River Forest Reserve. According to the study, six types of activities were documented: old active fields, farms with houses, multi-crop farms, pastures, cattle farms and marijuana fields. Out of all the locations studied, Chiquibul showed the most concern with a total of 19 encroachment activities documented; 12 of these being cattle farms. According to the FCD report, gold panning, agricultural farming and cattle ranching are the primary threats.
Meanwhile in the Vaca Forest Reserve the challenge has been defining cross border encroachment since both Belizean and Guatemalan farmers are operating within that area. The reports says the objective of the mission was to mark a reference point of illegal encroachments in the protected areas along the western border by the end of the year, before the dry weather and slash and burn begins.
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