FCD says Road in Chiquibul Built by Wealthy Guatemalans

On Tuesday, we told you about the illegal road built in the Chiquibul Forest by Guatemalans. That road originated from a town across the border and is believed to have been used for cattle ranching. It’s a serious problem that Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) continues to face as the co-manager of the Chiquibul National Park. FCD’s Executive Director, Rafael Manzanero told News Five that heavy machinery was used to build this road, indicating that ‘big players’ are involved. He says that Belizean law enforcement authorities need to have a permanent presence on the grounds to prevent these types of illegal activities.

 

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

“It is the first time that we are really documenting a road, you know,  in terms of that magnitude.  So it is one of our high concern to us.  And so, it has already been validated, it is in the park, it is within Belize. It is by Guatemalans. And so now the point is what to do with that so in. I am glad that in some of the recommendations that we put forward are probably going to be pursued and that is good for us.” 

 

Hipolito Novelo

“Seeing the road, that, that means that heavy machinery was used to construct the road, which means that as we always suspected, we have bigger or wealthier persons behind these things happening in Chiquibul.”

 

Rafael Manzanero

“Yes, that’s correct. So we see that with heavy machinery, of course, those are more investments and these are not really done by poor people along the adjacency zone, but More than likely, we believe they are by cattle ranchers in terms of trying to find an area where to get water. We need to provide more for the cattle ranching activities in that southern zone of the Rio Blanco. So this is in the extreme south of the Chiquibu National Park.”

 

Hipolito Novelo

“Is it getting worse?”

 

Rafael Manzanero

“I think, I mean, if we start to look at in terms of the mobilization of people along the area it is not as extensive as before during the xatero days. But what we see is now a different kind of individuals involved in the territory. So these are more heavy investors, and I will say the cattle ranching activity is still within the 1 to 1. 5 kilometers of the western flank of the Chiquibul National Park and Caracol.”

 

Hipolito Novelo

“How soon is it expected for that road to be destroyed?”

 

Rafael Manzanero

“Well, we are going to continue on of course, along with the patrols on the ground, but I tend to think, you know, Hipolito that the destruction of the road, either by using dynamite or explosives, it will basically serve to show the kind of the action being done by Belizean authorities. So that is positive because you bet that I mean, I’ve known in Guatemala, people can go back again and fill it in back again and use it once over. So I tend to think that the 1st action, yes, it’s really to find a way how to destroy that and then to have a presence on the ground to ensure that people are coming back again to refill it or to use it otherwise.”