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Illegal Extraction Threatens Belize’s Forest Future

Belize’s forests are under siege, and the threat is growing. Illegal loggers and extractors are stripping national lands of timber, bush sticks, bay leaves and other resources at an alarming rate. To counter this threat, at the beginning of December, government implemented a moratorium banning extraction from public lands. This intervention effort only seems to have forced offenders to find new ways to operate, often during holidays when enforcement is stretched thin. Deputy Chief Forest Officer John Pinelo says that over Christmas and New Year’s, authorities intercepted truckloads of unpermitted material and issued over fifty thousand dollars in fines. The Forest Department says the concern isn’t just trees today, but the ecosystems we’ll depend on tomorrow. Pinelo explains why the crackdown is urgent and what’s being done to stop the destruction.