Illegal Road Discovered in Columbia River Forest Reserve Raises Concerns

Since last week, we’ve been covering the issue of illegal roads stretching from Guatemala into the Chiquibul National Park. Now Friends of Conservation and Development is reporting that another road was discovered south of Chiquibul. During a flyover conducted on March 14, FCD discovered a road occurring inside the Columbia River Forest Reserve (CRFR). in the Toledo District. In a statement released yesterday, FCD said quote, “The road appears to be recent and is estimated to go beyond 2 km inside Belize. The closest Guatemalan community is El Carrizal,” end of quote. The NGO notes that the illegal extraction of timber has been an issue in that area for several years, and the road is likely linked to such activity. FCD says that illegal timber extraction takes place close to the Machaquilha Conservation Post, which is approximately one point four kilometers from the Belize/Guatemala Adjacency Line.