Toledo Alcalde Association and NGO discuss Rosewood

Lisel Alamilla

On Wednesday night, we told you that Ya’axche Conservation Trust is sitting out a Rosewood inventory exercise that will be carried out in Toledo by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The illegal extraction and exportation of rosewood has become a hot button issue in the south because while the exporters are making millions, the villagers are being paid a pittance. Well, this Friday thirty-eight leaders of the Maya Communities, who form the Toledo Alcalde Association, will be meeting and weighing in on the Rosewood situation. Lisel Alamilla, Executive Director of Ya’axche, says that they will be in attendance.

Via Phone: Lisel Alamilla, Executive Director, Ya’axche Conservation Trust

“On Friday, we have been invited and will be part of a meeting that the Toledo Alcalde Association will be hosting at Parish Hall in P.G and it’s in regards to this whole Rosewood issue. We are very interested to find out what the Alcalde’s views are about this situation, as a collective group, not individually; and also being invited to that meeting will be representatives from the Village Council. We fully recognize that this meeting comes right before elections and people tend to be very partisan in their view but the issues of natural resources will remain a concern even after March seven. As a conservation organization we are very much interested in hearing from the leaders of the thirty eight Mayan communities, what their voice is on the issue.”