P.M. tours Las Cuevas Forest Station
The Prime Minister hiked a nature trail and explored caves on Thursday as part of his tour of the Las Cuevas Forest Research Station. The Government Press Office also made the trek and has the following report.
Deep in the Chiquibul Forest, a three-hour drive, in a four-wheel drive vehicle is the Las Cuevas Research Station, being run by the Government of Belize and the Natural History Museum of London. Here Belizean and British scientists study the relationship between the rainforest and our environment. On Thursday Prime Minster Honorable Said Musa, visited the research station to see first hand the important research being carried out at Las Cuevas, in search of a better understanding of our natural environment. Christ Minty, Las Cuevas’ Manager, briefed the Prime Minister on the on-going research and important role that this plays, not only for Belize, but for the ecology of the entire region.
Chris Minty, Manager, Research Station
“Our main objective is to look at the bio-diversity and how that relates to human and natural impact on the forest. And we do a variety of very different research projects associated with that.”
Q: “Why is it important for the public to know about what you are doing here?”
Chris Minty
“Well I think that it is important for a number of reasons: one is that Belize retains an awful lot of it’s forest covered still, and the protected area management and the ecological importance of the forest, is extremely important for the everyday lives of people in Belize. The environment is protected by the folks in the forest and they also need the atmosphere and is protected by the folks in the forest as well.”
The visit to Las Cuevas, was spent in the forest, explaining and understanding why there is a need to preserve the forest and not exploit it for short-term economic gain. Prime Minister Musa was given lessons on the role that different plants, insect and animal lives have in guaranteeing a balance in our environment. In the area of conservation, Belize is a world leader.
Said Musa, Prime Minister
“We have declared, I believe, over forty-two percent of Belizean territory as protected areas and as you may know, we now have a PACT organization, P.A.C.T., Protected Areas Conservation Trust, which is dedicated specifically towards the protecting of these areas, conserving these areas for bio-diversity and for our future generations to enjoy.”
Besides the beauty of our forests, rivers and caves we should all be proud of the fact that Belize is one of the most protected areas in the world, with our natural environment intact. This will continue to become more valuable and meaningful, not only to us here in Belize, but to the entire world in the coming years.
The Las Cuevas Research Station was established in 1994 and is jointly run by the Government of Belize and the Natural History Museum in London. It is located in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, about three hours drive from Georgeville in the Cayo District.
