Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline
The Forestry Department also participated in today's meeting. Before the election, that department had become the scourge of conservation groups because of its lax position on a largely unregulated rosewood trade.

But one of Minister Alamilla's first actions when she got into office was to effect a moratorium. The pleased the conservationists but angered rosewood cutters and traders.

Today Chief Forestry Officer Sabido told us that an inventory of all rosewood is underway, including those trees that are still standing in the forest and those that have already been felled.

He outlined the plan going forward:..

Wilbur Sabido, Chief Forestry Officer
"There will be several teams out in the field in the Toledo District and parts of Stann Creek because it is occurring in the Stann Creek District as well to go in and start doing assessments of the material that is already cut."

"We will also be informing the villages and villagers who have material that are already fallen in the forest to start bringing out their material, with a view to us having a global assessment of how much have already been fell."

"What we want is to make sure that in terms of the villagers, the villages down there that have made some investment in this material that they have cut that we do take into consideration to an extent that there is some benefit that they can derive of it now. But then certainly as you said in terms of the standing volume we will also be doing that so that we can also make those recommendations to cabinet in terms of what is there and how much can be taken out over a period of time."

"What we are seeing is to take a step back and assess the situation, appraised cabinet through our minister and then we can move ahead in terms of making a decision that doesn't dis-enfranchise the people that have some livelihood that they can benefit from the timber."

At some point in the future after things have been regularized, Sabido says he expects that Rosewood extraction will be permitted in a regulated fashion but under revamped regulations.

Channel 5


Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,461
K
Offline
K
I think the simple solution for this is for APAMO and other NGO's to buy the already cut wood, sell it for much more to fair trade outfits and pay more for it and cut out the scamps buying from Toledo for next to nothing selling for lots more. Then set up a factory to produce wood products and never export raw lumber.


Belize based travel specialist
www.belize-trips.com
[email protected]
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 610
M
Offline
M
That is the best way I think Katie and should be easy to do. Make the furniture plant in Toledo so they can add value to their rosewood and properly benefit form the hard and dangerous work cutting it and getting it out of the bush. Never to be sold without value added.

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline

A month government announced a halt to rosewood harvest in the south. Thirty days later, the Minister admits that the announced assessment has not yet started and that GOB is allowing rosewood already felled to be extracted.


Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline

Rosewood grace period ends on Saturday

In the south, loggers have until Saturday to extract felled rosewood. After months of pressure by conservation groups that the forests were being depleted of the precious wood, on March sixteenth, the Ministry of Forestry slapped a moratorium on all rosewood activities. But while conservationists supported the move, stakeholders in the lucrative trade protested that they were not given due notice to bring the logging to a sudden end. The ministry then allowed them a two-week period to loggers and dealers to extract and sell existing lumber. That grace period expires on Saturday. Immediately thereafter, says Minister of Forestry Lisel Alamilla, officials from the department will begin an assessment of the harvest.

 

Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry

"What is happening right now is that villages are still taking out all the flitches that they have in the forest and they have up until tomorrow to take them out. After that then next week we will go in and start stamping them. They have already, those communities that are ready, have taken out all their flitches, have already called Forestry Department and we will then be scheduling land for forest officers to go in and measure the flitches."

 

Isani Cayetano

Lisel Alamilla

"Where do you see this going in terms of the findings of this evaluation process? If the results are that there has been mass pillaging across the district and there are mature, adult rosewood plants left, would that call for an end or a complete ban on the harvesting of rosewood? Where do you see this going?"

 

Lisel Alamilla

"Well first of all let us explain that there are two things happening: one is the moratorium whereby we are allowing everyone to take out everything that they have; secondly, what will happen after the moratorium or during the moratorium will allow for the extending of the survey assessment to happen and that's something that can only be done properly if there is a moratorium. You can't continue cutting while you're trying to gather data of what's standing and the Forestry Department will start to do that once they are finished measuring and stamping all the rosewood that's on the ground. Based on that data then we will decide how we will proceed."

Channel 5


Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline

Minister Alamilla updates the media on rosewood moratorium


Lisel Alamilla

Just over a month ago, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development Liselle Alamilla announced a halt to Rosewood harvest in southern Belize. The purpose of the moratorium announced on March fourteenth was to assess the current state of the Rosewood population and to chart the way forward for this precious hardwood. Not much has been heard about the moratorium since it was announced, and today, Love News sought to get an update from Minister Alamilla about the ongoing assessment.

Alamilla says she has personally been to villages like Boom Creek and Santa Teresa to meet with the villagers and speak with them so that they better understand what the rosewood moratorium is all about. So far, the Minister says, there has been a positive response to the announced moratorium.

LOVETV



Link Copied to Clipboard
March
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Cayo Espanto
Click for Cayo Espanto, and have your own private island
More Links
Click for exciting and adventurous tours of Belize with Katie Valk!
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 302 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums44
Topics79,199
Posts500,011
Members20,460
Most Online7,413
Nov 7th, 2021



AmbergrisCaye.com CayeCaulker.org HELP! Visitor Center Goods & Services San Pedro Town
BelizeSearch.com Message Board Lodging Diving Fishing Things to Do History
BelizeNews.com Maps Phonebook Belize Business Directory
BelizeCards.com Picture of the Day

The opinions and views expressed on this board are the subjective opinions of Ambergris Caye Message Board members
and not of the Ambergris Caye Message Board its affiliates, or its employees.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5