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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

INTRODUCTION Unsustainable hunting of terrestrial vertebrates, is a widespread phenomenon in tropical forests (Peres 2000). This most widespread form of non-timber forest product resource extraction (Peres, 2001) can be detrimental to target populations (Mittermeier, 1987). Mittermeier (1987) even suggests that hunting can be more detrimental than habitat destruction, as it may lead from local to […]