Scaled-Back Logging Concession Approved in Mountain Pine Ridge

The government has approved a scaled-back logging concession in the Western Hardwoods area of Mountain Pine Ridge, two weeks after the application from Belize Woodmark Designs sparked fierce opposition from forestry experts and conservation co-managers. In an interview earlier in the week, Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet explained that the concession was approved with important limitations.

Conservationists and local stakeholders had argued that logging in Western Hardwoods would alter water tables, jeopardize springs and streams, and threaten wildlife habitat and tourism potential. Despite those objections, they are moving forward with a reduced footprint and conditions that are designed to protect ecological values.