Columbia Forest Reserve Under Threat

We also broke the news that Belize Defence Force soldiers destroyed two wooden bridges built by Guatemalans inside the Columbia Forest Reserve. Those bridges were used to facilitate the entry of trucks to extract timber such as rosewood and other precious woods. FCD reported that the  illegal activity appeared recent, with amounts of timber stacked up. Manzanero says these activities are found dangerously close to the Machaquilha Conservation Post.

 

Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director, F.C.D.

“It was shocking to the extent of the area being used and occupied. We do know that illegal logging has been ongoing in the Columbia River way from the early 2000s.  So, we do know there has been extraction of rosewood and other hardwoods from that area there, but basically looking at the construction of wooden bridges in the area, it really means that it’s not only forces that are coming in to extract the timber and moving it to Guatemala, but basically it’s also really truckloads that are using that kind of territory for the extraction of timber. More than likely it is Rosewood. If there’s any left around that particular zone there and then also Sapodilla that would be used  because these are really more primary woods that are being used in Guatemala these days.”