Tree-Planting Effort Aims to Restore Machaca Forest Reserve
Around 160 volunteers gathered at the Machaca Forest Reserve in southern Belize for a mass tree-planting aimed at restoring degraded sections of the protected area.
The initiative, organised by the Ya’axché Conservation Trust in partnership with the Forestry Department, forms part of the Million Trees Initiative, which aims to plant one million trees across the country by 2030.
The Machaca restoration effort comes after years of challenges in the area, including logging.
“Our aim today is to put down 190 trees within degraded lands already identified in the Machaca Forest Reserve,” said Christina Garcia, Executive Director of the Ya’axché Conservation Trust.
Participants included students from Julian Cho High School, Toledo Community College and the University of Belize, along with personnel from the Forestry Department, Belize Defence Force and Ya’axché Conservation Trust.
Milagro Matus, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, says the government has been working to mobilise resources for Machaca for approximately 25 years.
Milagro Matus, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, says the government has been trying to restore for the area for years.
“For the past 25 years, the office has been trying to mobilise resources to be able to focus in this area. And we have finally done so,” Matus said.
She also encouraged Belizeans to take part in tree planting, saying that the benefits may extend well beyond the people planting them today.
“You might not see the tree today, tomorrow, but in the next coming years, it will provide fruit or shade to someone,” Matus said.