Ranger Outpost Launched in Belize’s Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve to Protect Natural Resources

A brief ceremony to launch a Ranger Outpost was organized by BATSUB and FCD at the Cooma Cairn, Baldy Hills area of the northeastern Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. The FCD Rangers are primarily tasked with keeping an eye out for any human activity within the reserve as well as any instances of forest fires and bark beetle infestation. (COOMA VO STARTS) As the entrance to the Chiquibul National Park, the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve has seen an upsurge in visitors since the Caracol road was upgraded. In practice, having Rangers at Cooma Cairn also aids in documenting and stopping any unneeded or illegal human activity there. The Rangers are also responsible for doing research and engaging the public in monitoring the Upper Macal Watershed. Four sub-watersheds are known to originate from these elevated locations, including Laboring Creek, which supplies water to the Roaring Creek/Belmopan sectors. The Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management has supported FCD’s landscape approach through an enhanced and expanded monitoring presence on buffer zones since September 2022. As a crucial partner, FCD’s job is to assist the government in managing special locations inside the Maya Mountain Massif.