A Remote Sensing Damage Analysis of the Chiquibul Forest Impacted by the 2020 Forest Fires
Abstract The 2020 dry season forest fires caused extreme damage to the Caracol Archaeological Reserve and the Chiquibul National Park ecosystem, both of which form part of the Maya Forest, known as the largest remaining contiguous block of neo-tropical forest north of the Amazon. These forest fires burnt vast regions of standing tropical forests as […]
FCD Newsletter Issue #34
30 Years of Service Celebrated In 1989, there were less inhabitants in Belize, more forests, cleaner rivers and much to discover. It was under this condition that the Youth Environmental Action Group (YEAG) was formed in San Jose Succotz. Youth from San Jose Succotz, Benque Viejo, San Ignacio and as far as Belmopan were the […]
FCD Annual Report 2019
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT The non-government organization FCD has completed twenty years of conservation and wildlife protection. From 2007 it has been a co-manager of the Chiquibul National Park. Since then it has faced the daunting task of protecting an ecologically sensitive area of Belize in the face of the Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute, where […]
Monitoring Game SpeciesCommunities in theChiquibul Forest
INTRODUCTION Unsustainable hunting of terrestrial vertebrates in tropical forests is the most widespread form of non timber forest product resource extraction (Peres, 2000; 2001) and detrimental to targeted populations (Mittermeier, 1987). Mittermeier (1987) indicates that hunting can be more detrimental than habitat destruction, as it may cause local to regional population extinctions. Thiollay (1986) and […]
FCD Newsletter Issue #33
2019 Chiquibul Challenge Marathon For the third consecutive year, the Chiquibul Challenge Marathon has successfully been held in the Chiquibul Forest. This time over 120 persons made their way to Las Cuevas Research Station on the 16th of March. The guests were welcomed by the FCD staff and the squawking scarlet macaws that made their […]
FCD Newsletter Issue #32
FCD Brings in 20 Years 2019 marks 20 years of FCD’s existence and 30 years since we started the conservation movement under the name Youth Environmental Action Group (YEAG). One value that became engrained on youth members was the love for the land. So that by 1999, as we metamorphosed into the FCD, the organization […]
FCD Annual Report 2018
MESSAGE FROM FCD’s EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 2017-2018 has marked another year of big efforts and big successes for FCD. No doubt the Chiquibul-Maya Mountains is a complicated area to manage and conserve; however, with the support of multiple partners and donors we have been better in grappling with the challenges. This year, the research work conducted […]
FCD Newsletter Issue #31
Xate Research Results are In For the third time since 2012, FCD’s research team have concluded a research to assess the stock populations of chamaedorea in the Chiquibul Forest. The data collected served to do a comparative analysis for the periods 2012 to 2018. The genus, Chamaedorea (locally referred to as xate) is the largest […]
Agricultural Encroachments in The Chiquibul Forest 2016 – 2018
INTRODUCTION Agricultural encroachment for “milpa” farming (slash and burn agriculture) is the main cause of deforestation within the Chiquibul Forest. Slash and burn agriculture (is a shifting farming system in which cleared fields are cultivated for fewer years than fallow) supports the livelihood of many, usually poor populations in the tropics. This practice is also […]
A Comparative Analysis of Chamaedorea (Xate) Populations In the Chiquibul Forest 2012 to 2018
INTRODUCTION The genus, Chamaedorea (locally referred to as xate) is the largest palm genus in Central America (Henderson et al. 1995) with an estimated 75% of the species being threatened. In Belize, there are 12 reported species, including the three most favored species in the floral industry (Chamaedorea elegans, C. ernesti-augustii and C. oblongata) and […]