Elizabeth Pridgeon

In 2001, an area of over 13,000 acres near the Cayo village of San Antonio was dedicated a National Park, and commitments were made to ensure the continued preservation and protection of the rainforest environment in the area.  Less than a decade later, and the entire system is in jeopardy due to serious mismanagement and misjudgement on the part of the current UDP authorities.  But the situation has far-reaching impacts aside from the sheer environmental catastrophe that will likely ensue: the inherent Mayan culture which depends on the reserve system is precariously threatened, and what is worse is that the apparent democratic processes in the management of the park have been forgone in lieu of what one can only assume are personal interests for certain cronies, which one can only assume is a sad reflection of undemocratic processes throughout the country.

The National Park, named after the famous medicinal healer, Elijio Panti, is situated within the jurisdiction of three Mayan villages: San Antonio, Cristo Rey and El Progreso 7 Miles.  Representatives from these three villages joined forces under the umbrella non-governmental organisation, the Itzamna Society, with the specific intention of promoting biodiversity conservation, cultural patrimony and community development.  The environmental organisation has been chaired by Ms Maria Garcia, of San Antonio village, since its inception – a lady famous for her determination and selfless revival and preservation of her Mayan heritage, alongside many other achievements.  Ms Garcia, speaking on behalf of the Itzamna Society, believes that the management of the park has seen drastic deterioration over recent months, precipitated following the change of government in 2008.

Only a matter of weeks after the UDP came to power last year, the Ministry of Agriculture organised a meeting in San Antonio village with the Itzamna Society, other co-managers and community representatives to declare that the area would no longer be a protected reserve, but instead its land would be subdivided to needy farmers in the area.  This obviously garnered support from land-desperate families in the villages, and residents queued up to place their seemingly limitless requests.  With a mocking laugh, the Society confirms that not one such resident has ever received any land as promised, but the mere mention of the initiative was sufficient enough to foster initial support for the corrupt authorities. 

Shortly afterwards, the villagers were concerned by news of the imminent clearing of land within the Park boundaries, with the intention of clearing a road through the Park.  This blatant disregard for the environmental value of the Park, and of the protection the reserve was theoretically entitled to, was a slap in the face for all the hard work the Itzamna Society and other co-managers had consistently contributed to the success and preservation of the area since 2001.  And to add to the farcical mockery of the situation, representatives from the Forestry Department claimed that the said-road could not be established without effectively taking illegal measures to enter the Park boundary anyway, which simply highlighted the lack of communication between various factions of the government.  Only by sheer force of the local grassroots community was it ensured that this environmental disaster was averted, but problems have continued ever since.

In July 2008, the local community and society agreed to meet to discuss the future co-management of the Park after several months of uncertainty following the expiration of the initial Co-Management Agreement signed in 2001.  A meeting was organized and all vested parties were invited; the community performed all the necessary requirements to ensure that people were greeted with hospitality, and at the eleventh hour the chairman of the village council cancelled the gathering, ostensibly because Minister Vega and Minister Montero were unable to attend.  It was left to the Itzamna Society to broadcast a public apology for the last-minute cancellation on Love FM, which read “the Itzamna Society apologizes to its 3 member communities, persons and organizations that showed their support for the inconvenience caused by the San Antonio Village Council on cancelling the meeting at last minute”.  Similar fiascos ensued during other scheduled meetings, including the following week at El Progresso 7 Miles, when again obscure excuses were given.

In April of this year, it was announced that a new political group would be established in the village called the Belize Development Foundation, sharing the appropriate acronym with the BDF (an intentional reminder of the military-style enforcement, one might ask?).  It was announced by Minister Montero that the BDF would take over the management of the entire Elijio Panti National Park, despite the long-standing success of the Itzamna Society and co-managers.  However, the announcement was made by the Minister at a community Water Board Meeting, and the Itzamna Society has never officially been informed that it is no longer responsible for the commitments it undertook to fulfil as Park Managers.  Thus a letter was sent to Minister Vega from the National Federation of Community Based Co-Management (NFCBC) seeking clarification on whether or not it was correct that the Itzamna Society would no longer be responsible for the management of the National Park.

The letter continued, “for your information Itzamna Society...is officially registered and has been managing the Elijio Panti National Park since 2001.  It was granted a co-management agreement by the Ministry of Natural Resources through the Forestry Department and recognized as an official organization capable of carrying out this Mandate...we are requesting that through your good office the Minister of Agriculture be convinced not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Itzamna Society and that the daily management of the protected area is respected”.  There has, as yet, been no response to this letter (dated 9th April 2009).

On Thursday 23rd July, at the request of the Forestry Department, the Itzamna Society met with ministry representatives to discuss the co-management of the Park, and they were disheartened to learn that an interim agreement had been signed between the Government of Belize and the BDF in May, granting full authority of management of the Elijio Panti National Park to the BDF.  However, the Chief Forest Officer, Wilber Sabido, advised the Itzamna Society to continue managing the park in the absence of any evident managerial practices being enforced by the BDF.  He failed to present a copy of the interim agreement at the meeting, but promised it would be available for collection from Belmopan on Monday, 27th July.  Representatives from the Society made the trek to Belmopan, only to be told that nothing had been deposited for them, and the Chief Forest Officer is now on annual leave.

Not only is the Itzamna Society now forced to continue its work without the necessary authority and support of a legally binding contract; it also has to deal with far more complex issues. The abandonment of the Park’s management has not gone unnoticed, and a number of less-conscientious villagers see the lacking enforcement as an open invitation to disregard the inherent protective measures of the reserve; there are now persistent cases of unlawful access, entry and hunting within the Park boundaries.

The positive effects of years of hard work on the part of the Itzamna Society and its co-managers are being destroyed in a matter of months.  And every time the authorities are approached with concern, they respond with shameful negligence.

Minister Vega, as the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, this matter has gone far beyond the localised concerns of one community-based organisation.  It has gone far beyond a matter of concern for the Cayo district.  This has become a national disgrace – and it is just one example of the deceit which you and your government represent.  The country is waiting for your response.

Be first to comment this article

Write Comment
Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Title:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments