Stopping Forest Fires in the Chiquibul

Earlier this year, several forest fires broke out in the Cayo District. It was during the dry season that vegetation became flammable, triggering wildfires.  These wildfires were high in number, intense, and detrimental to the environment and public health. But the challenges are greater in the Chiquibul Forest. The area is difficult to access by Belizean authorities, so controlling a wildfire there is difficult. This is why Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) decided to meet with residents of the Guatemalan village of La Rejoya, which sits close to the western border. Oftentimes, fires start on the Guatemalan side of the border before crossing into the Chiquibul. FCD wants to prevent these occurrences. Executive Director Rafael Manzanero explained.

Rafael Manzanero

Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director, FCD

“We have felt that in terms of forest fires, if Guatemalans really wanted to give us a lot of problems, they could light that fire in that forest on the brush. Imagine if, you know, 10 Guatemalans in that community decided, ‘I’m going to light the forest’. In one day, those fires can be raging by the border. And we would not be able to stop it. It’s impossible because even to carry water, and that’s the only place where there’s water over there, You know what we saw. Apart from that, there’s no stream; there’s no river. So, in the dry weather, the point is that we need to try to seek an open dialogue with them. So what we did was basically try to establish that open dialogue and tell them, You know what? If you are actually losing your own pasture lands or other areas because of forest fires that you can no longer control, then we want to help. Because by helping them, we are helping ourselves as well because they are going to light the fire, and in fact they have done that in the past.”