7 News Belize

Balam Believes In Carlos Raul
posted (July 15, 2016)
Last night, we brought you part one of our coverage on the press conference held by the Executive Director of "Asociacion Balam." He's the Guatemalan conservationist, Byron Castellanos, who heads the Guatemalan counterpart to Friends For Conservation and Development. They basically try to preserve the forest environments in Guatemala close to the border which make up a part of the Chiquibul National Park.

As one of the key persons trying to preserve the Chiquibul biosphere across the border, he works closely with FCD to tackle the root causes of the Guatemalan incursions into Belize. That's poverty and organized crime, and yesterday, he had a very frank conversation about the realities which continue force Guatemalan campesinos to enter Belize illegally to get at the rich resources of the Chiquibul.

Both he and the FCD Executive Director, Rafael Manzaneros, agree that in the last 2 years, the illegal activity in the Chiquibul has decreased drastically. It's partly due to the enforcement efforts on both sides of the border, but more so because of the intervention methods that Balam and their Guatemalan partners have been making.

He freely acknowledged in the press conference yesterday that they can't stop all the illegal activity. To try to curb it, they've focused on some 200+ families living in the poor border communities which are prone to seeking out the Chiquibul in Belize. He told us that each Guatemalan that the conservationists keeps at home while being able to feed their families, is one Guatemalan less to make an incursion into Belizean territory:

Byron Castellanos - Executive Director, Asociacion Balam
"They are working on a environmental security strategy focused to protect the forest in Guatemala and to reduce the illegal trafficking of resources from Belizean territory into Guatemala. We do join patrolling with the government. In 2012, FCD identified a number of areas where wood was being illegally exploited, with FCD in Guatemala we have started a joined work in patrolling. The result was successful at this point 4 years later. These last 20 months we have not had any illegal logging. Presently we are working in the promotion of producing projects in the Guatemalan communities. This person here used to come in Belize to extract Xate. Now, we are helping them to produce Xate in Guatemala. Guatemalan's community people come in Belize to extract gold and fauna to produce, sell and eat because they are poor. We are working with community people now to plan different products, food security. We call them agroforestry systems. These problems are financed by British and U.S corporations. Our message in communities is very clear. Do not enter Belize. Belize has very strict rules. We are helping them, giving them financial support."

While we had the opportunity, we asked him for his honest opinion on whether or not the current Guatemalan Government is doing enough to assist these poor border communities. It may be easy for Belizeans to be skeptical of the political will to tackle this problem given that the Sarstoon River issue has re-awakened distrust of all things Guatemalan. Castellanos told us, however, that he sincerely believes that this government, especially Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales, are making a genuine effort:

Byron Castellanos - Executive Director, Asociacion Balam
"For many years the government has forgotten this population. We believe that this government has made a change and that they are sincerely working now and that is why we are working with them. A 50 year problem cannot be easily solved but we are on the right path. We are asking the Guatemalan government that we really need more support. Our foreign affairs minister is the main supporter to his government to solve the problems and help."

So, what about the criminal organizations that are paying for the illegal activities such as logging, hunting, gold panning and drug trafficking? Well, Castellanos said that there are specific Government organizations in Guatemala which investigate that type of activity, and though his mandate is conservation, he has to believe that they are making their best effort to bring these criminal agents to justice.

And, on the question of whether there may be Guatemalan government corruption which enables these activities to continue, Castellanos told us that he has confidence that the organizations which conduct internal investigations, will have the same zeal to prosecute that corruption in the just as they investigated the jailed former president, Otto Perez Molina, who is currently in Jail.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize