Photo top to bottom, left to right: Packing up in the early morning light; heading out of the Chiquibul; trouble with the driveshaft bearings.

The issue of the Chiquibul is not a complicated one, if you realize that it is not a border dispute between Guatemala and Belize. Guatemala does claim something, but it is an unfounded claim. Poverty reigns supreme on the Guatemalan side of the border, and Belize is an easy safety valve. As we witnessed first hand, logging in the Chiquibul is only one problem, one that has been going on for some time. The entire natural and cultural resource base in the Chiquibul is an easy target for poor Guatemalans when Belize does not enforce the border. Once the timber and xate and wildlife are gone, the forest will be cleared for milpa as it has on the Guatemalan side. And it is far safer to establish marijuana fields in Belize and transport it back than to grow it in the cleared land of Guatemala. Colonization can not be far behind. This is not conjecture, it is happening right now.

The Chiquibul is one of the most biologically diverse and pristine natural environments in Belize. But the web of life is fragile. Unless protected and managed, the scarlet macaws, the jaguars, the monkeys, the mahogany and the countless other creatures and habitats and wonders that are Belize will be destroyed.

Even more fundamental though is the protection of our national sovereignty. One of the prime responsibilities of any government is to establish and protect borders … what is more important? The economy? Gang warfare? Jobs? None of these mean anything if we become the 23rd Department of Guatemala.

Shame on the Belizean Government if they do not delineate our western border. Shame on the Belizean Government if they do not defend our national sovereignty from incursion by foreigners. Shame on the Belizean Government if they do not protect and manage the Chiquibul as the natural wonder it is. And shame on the Belizean People if they do not demand this of their government.

For information on how you can help, visit Friends of Conservation and Development’s website.

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Photos below left to right: Marijuana field in a clearing on the Belize side of the border; illegal logging has been occurring for a long time as evidenced by this old crime scene; large spiderweb and spider; a chamber of the great Chiquibul cave system.

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