Yesterday you heard the NGO senator call on the government to aid the Friends Conservation and Development after they reported that they were being blocked in the Chiquibul. The FCD co-manages the national park area and they're trying to conduct their scarlet macaw studies - but cannot get their license approved.
After two decades, the Forestry Department told them they need a letter of no objection from Bulridge, which has a logging concession in the Forest Reserve - which covers. a large part of the birds' domain.
But Briceno said it's not to block them, but rather to develop some structure in the area.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I think it's important if you could sit down with me and I could give you all the details because I've been involved in the discussions between both sides and the last meeting we had, I think it was around July or August this year, what we agreed to is that both of them were manning the entrance to the reserve when really it's Bulridge, they're the ones that are responsible for the reserve and they're in charge of the Chiquibul, one is Mountain Pine Ridge, one is Chiquibul, and so we've been working along with Bulridge, Forestry Department, and FCD, we're finding a new area, I think they're already addressing that with the BDF because I think it's going to be close to the Guacamallo Bridge, in that area where they're going to be putting their new headquarters. on the issue of the Scarlet Macaw, the studies, I'm told that Bulridge is also doing their studies and they also want to their own, both of them have been doing the studies. it's not necessarily about no objections but simply that Bulridge needs to be advised of any activity that's happening in the area because remember they are moving big trucks with lots of logs and we want to ensure that nobody gets hurt during that time so I think it's more for coordination more than anything else. I really don't see what is the big issue, I'm very supportive of FCD, I support the work that they're doing and we need to continue to support them."
Courtney Menzies:
"I think the issue is that they didn't need the letter beforehand and they've been doing this work for so many years."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well what has happened is that we're trying to put more structure. Remember earlier, FCD had their camp right at the entrance of the Mountain Pine Ridge reserve and now to ensure that we have a better management of both areas, they have decided in consultation between themselves and the Forestry Department to move elsewhere and so now it's just an evolution of things, we're not making anything difficult."
