Maya Forest Project Isn’t First Land Trust in Belize

Osmany Salas

According to Senator Salas, the Belize Maya Forest Project is not the first land trust to be established in Belize.  In fact, he says, the Rio Bravo trust was established in the late eighties and remained to the benefit of the Belizean people ever since.

Osmany Salas, N.G.O. Senator

“One of the main benefits is that, you know, set up as a land trust, as is the objective and as is the case with the agreements that have been signed, it really secures it for the government and people of Belize.  That’s what a land trust is and this would not be the first land trust.  There have been other land trust arrangements in the country.  The one most Belizeans probably know about and the one which probably was the very first one is the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area.  There’s also the Shipstern Conservation and Management Area in northeastern Belize, some of the TIDE private lands in southern Belize and there are a couple others.  So this is not the first.  This sort of follows in the steps of what has been done before.  So we are very concerned that some of the pronouncements that have been made by elected and unelected government officials and the accusations that have been levied that it could potentially endanger this very important initiative.”