GOB Considering Ecotourism in Chiquibul

The government is weighing proposals for ecotourism development in the Chiquibul Forest ecosystem, the country’s largest protected area and a critical habitat for endangered species such as the scarlet macaw. We are told that the proposals, including a high-end conservation tourism project, align with Belize’s premium tourism vision but are still under review. Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), which co-manages the Chiquibul National Park, supports sustainable development but warns that decisions must be science-based and carefully planned. Stakeholders agree that the Chiquibul presents both opportunity and risk. Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet says that any ecotourism development must balance economic benefits with strict environmental safeguards.

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“I think that there are certain things that we can do, but certain things that would have to be off limits. I think that we really have to protect the headwaters that are up there. We need to protect the wildlife. Ecotourism, remember that we also have caves in those areas. And so these would have to be controlled and limited. The national park calls for no-take zones but we already have take areas within the zones, things that we also inherited, but we have to work along those lines, trying to make certain that the impact is very, very, very minimal. The Caracol is within the national park, but we also have tourism there, but it has to be controlled. If you want to come here, this is an area that is very sensitive, then you will have to pay a higher fee because this is a sensitive site. It has to be carefully monitored and it can’t be thousands and thousands of visits. I think that is the way we have to do it.”

 

Hipolito Novelo

“So ecotourism in the Chiquibul is on the table already. It is being considered by the government.”

 

Orlando Habet

“I think there are many or a few companies or individuals who have approached and sent one or two proposals for use. In the Chiquibul, very few that I’m aware of.  Most of what, I have heard or seen is for within the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve.”

 

We’ll keep following this story.