Both the UDP Government and the PUP Opposition have rejected Guatemala's request to move the date for the referendum on the ICJ. And while things remains muddled at the official level, on the ground everyday there are transactions where Belize and Guatemala learn to live as neighbors.
Earlier this month one of those came up when Friends for conservation and development arranged a summit with with officials from Guatemala's Division for the Protection of Nature known as DIPRONA. They met with officials from Belize's Forest Department, BDF, Police Department, Immigration and FCD staff.
Both sides discussed the environmental crisis faced in the Chiquibul forest. On the second day a field visit was made to Chiquibul and Caracol where they observed the illegal logging, xate trails and the farms along the western flank of the Chiquibul forest.
And, reciprocating, one week later on the 21st of March, FCD personnel attended a one day event in Poptun, Peten. The workshop was called "An Environmental Security Strategy with a bi-national focus: Chiquibul- Maya Mountains and South Peten.
By the end of the workshop two hotspot areas were identified, namely the Carrizal area located nearby the Colombia River Forest Reserve and La Rejoya area located near to Caracol as main trafficking routes for many illegal activities ranging from illegal logging to poaching and extraction of non- timber forest products.
Recommendations were made for a Joint Operation Center at each of these two spots and two control spots where the presence of authorities would be established.
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