And while many of those flights will be into the Chiquibul, it's not as many as before and that's because a stronger BDF presence has cooled things
down significantly in that large protected area:…
Brig. Gen. David Jones - Commander, BDF
"For the last 2 years the big area of concern we had was in the area of Rio Blanco where we had many encroachment, too much encroachments and we were
able to arrest that situation not just by the increase of patrols but also with the assistance of our Guatemalan counter parts. Where people have now
been persuaded to come across into Belize and do illegal activities. Our aim for 2016 is to arrest the situation even more along our border with our
neighbouring countries, with Guatemala and Mexico. So air reconnaissance will increase. That also will be an increase in foot patrol and coverage of
sum of the areas that we haven't been covering. So the other area of concern now is the area of Sebada which is inside the Chiquibul. This is the area
we will be working with FCD to arrest that situation. There is an issue of the road being constructed to get the CP there because this is the most
challenging area to reach, the area of Sebada. There is no road leading there, there is no helicopter site where we can just drop in get material there
and construct. So we're looking at the feasibility of constructing a road to go to the area and have a conservation post placed there."
And that raises the issue of sovereignty. With the BDF showing a stronger presence along the western border in 2015, as compared to 2014, there is a
greater protection of national lands. Jones said taking the BDF off the city streets made it possible:..
Brig. Gen. David Jones - Commander, BDF
"Chiquibul is one of the main area of contention. There has been reduction in what's happening in the Chiquibul because of the aggressive patrolling
that are occurring now. Sovereignty was always maintained but not to what we would have liked because we had the additional task of working with the
police. Now that is gone, we're no longer patrolling with the police on the streets of Belize City, so we now have a better control on what's happening
along our border."
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