Vehicles for Chiquibul Fighters

There is good news tonight for a number of agencies manning the Chiquibul where illegal activities, in particular gold panning, are on the increase.  PACT, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, today handed over six vehicles to the Chiquibul Forest Investment Initiative, which comprises the Belize Defence Force,  the Belize Forest Department, Ya’axché Conservation Trust and Friends for Conservation and Development.  Three of the new vehicles went to the B.D.F. and the remaining three were handed over to the other organizations. The main objective of the initiative is to increase the management presence and strengthen enforcement within the Chiquibul and the surrounding forest areas along our Western border.  These areas consist mainly of the Columbia, Vaca and Chiquibul Forests. B.D.F. Commander, Brigadier General David Jones explains. 

David Jones

Brigadier General David Jones, Commander, B.D.F.

“These gifts to the Belize Defence Force are very welcome and those areas that we are going to operate in we did not have the necessary vehicles support to actually go to these areas. And it is going to be very useful to the soldiers and other members that are going to work there; so members of the forestry, FCD and also we will work with Ya’axche and the other nature reserves Bladden and the other we will work with. We were really in need of these vehicles and these vehicles are a very impressive fleet and they are going to be put to good use.”

The total cost for the vehicles is four hundred and fifty thousand one hundred and forty-six dollars.