The Chiquibul Forest – is the largest protected area in Belize and being along the western border, it's under constant pressure from populations on the Guatemalan side. The residents on that side are looking for green land where they can farm, or virgin forests from which they can extract huge logs, or Xate – and that's because their forests have been stripped and they've run out of arable land….Which leads them to the Chiquibul's vast expanse of protected areas.
That un-relenting pressure is the subject of a high level Symposium that's being held tomorrow. It's called "Alarming Threats To Peace Conservation National Stability." That's pretty dramatic and Valerie Woods who is a Member of the Friends For Conservation and Development which co-manages Chiquibul, explains the urgency and the need for a national reaction:
Valerie Woods - Member, Friends For Conservation and Development
"This is not a foreign abstract concept, this is happening right in our backyard just like Noh Mul just like any shipwreck on our reef or in the seas. The only reason we are not seeing it as we see those other things because it's so far in Chiquibul, all the news media and the general public - all we've had is a few Guatemalans coming over with the incidents. What we're trying to do is to show you that those few incidents fit in the context of the big area and where it is. So tomorrow we do hope that we change what is an abstract to an absolute positive, tangible 'it's here' in our backyard and as emotionally attached as we are to Noh Mul we should equally know that when you say Chiquibul it's like you're looking right over your shoulder because it's for us and it's in our backyard. We do see that it deserves a singular campaign in the House too so to be honest it's a long term thing - it will require nothing different than the road to the independence and I'm not exaggerating. House to house - business to business - school to school, that's how serious we are about this Chiquibul area and that's the importance we've put to it and the amount of effort it took to get us to independence that is what it will require to get people to rally around Chiquibul and have it become a household name. Chiquibul forest is four times the size of Barbados, the amount of agricultural farms and Milpa farming that is going on in the area is occupying about one and a half times the size of Belize City around thousands of acres that's being impacted deforested every year so it's reaching critical mass that everybody needs to be aware. Because we can't talk about we're sovereign and independent if it's happening everyday right through the table using Chiquibul as the gateway. So it is the first time that we're bringing pretty much most of the parties involved together - airing it publicly. What we are hoping is that because we've had the symposium Friday, July 19th - first and foremost more Belizeans understand the importance and why we collectively need to act. What we hope to present tomorrow is with the stark reality but from a comprehensive perspective. So it's Caracol, the National Park and the Forest Reserve which collectively is dubbed the Chiquibul Forest."
Tomorrow's symposium at the Radisson is not your regular talk shop; it will run from 8 – 12 only and will minimize on speeches. It is open to the public.
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