Barranco Loggers Demand Answers for License Refusals

Leslie Colon

From the deep south comes a story of unfair treatment in one of Belize’s oldest and most well-known villages. Five residents of the village of Barranco say they have applied for logging licenses, but were all rejected. However, there is said to be logging going on in the village without the consultation and agreement of the villagers. Those who spoke with our colleagues at PGTV this week say the Forestry Department has sold them out to satisfy outsiders.

Leslie Colon, Barranco Villager 
“We’ve been treated unfair you know because if those concessions would push through, we as Barrancoans would make sure our community benefit. We are looking at this as an economic source to make us could develop ourselves because the government no reach out to us, they no try to provide ways and means how we could – so we try amongst ourselves as people to try develop ourselves. I noticed that everywhere developed through natural resource that’s why if we don’t tap into what we have right – for years and years this is happening to us, we the take lick for years over twenty years now they are logging us out and no benefit for the community. We see the community the take lick, the roads bad, the wharf, those places in shambles and we still no di see, still not getting nothing. The logs are doing out, we need to benefit.”

Reporter 
“Who are taking out the logs?”

Leslie Colon 
“Well, outsiders taking the logs.”

Reporter 
“Outsiders, you know where they come from?”

Leslie Colon 
“We still noh know. We di try investigate but we di get push around.”

The villagers say no reason has been given for the rejections. Chief Forest Officer Wilber Sabido has indicated that a meeting is to be held next week.