And now in conservation news, the Itzamna Society is Co-Manager of Elijio Panti National Park and they are based in San Antonio Village, Cayo District. That's one of the buffer communities that stands to be affected if a logging license is granted for the Western Hardwoods area of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. As we have told you, the Chief Forest Officer has emphatically advised against granting such a license, but the Minister Orlando Habet seems inclined to do it.
And today, Itzamna put out an emotional statement - strongly urging him not to do it.
The statement says, quote, "The consideration of a logging permit in one of Belize's untouched primary forests represents a profound disrespect to our sacred sites, our ancestral livelihood and the delicate balance of our wildlife. With broken hearts, we ask: What is the future of our sacred lands, our wildlife, our water and our communities, if decisions are made without the voice of the people who have lived in harmony with them for generations?"
The statement goes on to say, quote, "The potential approval of this logging concession is not just a step back, it threatens the collapse of the cultural and ecological pillars that sustain Belize."
It ends by saying, quote, "Let us say NO to destruction!"
