The Vaca Forest Reserve is on fire. At FCD we believe that educating farmers is essential but law enforcement is necessary too.

FCD Belize

These are the fires within the protected areas of Vaca Forest Reserve, Caracol Archaeological Reserve and Chiquibul National Park. These human induced threats undermine conservation efforts in the western Maya Mountains, affecting thousands of Belizeans and a country at large.

Today, April 26th, the Forest Department firefighting crew will enter the Vaca Forest Reserve to contain the wildfire there from spreading further into the forest and further into the Chiquibul National Park. This fire in the Vaca Area has the potential to release an enormous amount of smoke into the municipalities of Benque Viejo del Carmen and San Ignacio and has been determined by the fire teams to be a top priority. Based on tomorrow’s report, it will be decided whether to declare the Vaca fire an emergency.