The table above describes the quantities of lumber exported, and the estimated value of such exports. Mahogany and Cedar lumber formed the greater proportion of the exports. CSO records show that mahogany contributed 80 to 90% of the exports between 1994 and 1998.

Wood-based panels

Custom-built plywood is manufactured at the factory site of the New River Enterprises Limited in the Orange Walk Town. Products are sold locally in Belize and exported to Mexico. No details were accessible about quantities of manufacture or consumption.

Pulp, paper, and paperboard

No industrial activity in this sub-sector exists in Belize.

OTHER FORESTRY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Woodfuels and wood energy

Woodfuel production, consumption, and trade (fuelwood and charcoal): past, present and foreseeable trends of woodfuels: its supply, demand, consumption and trade

During the period 1938 to 1951 fuelwood supply was an important trade sector in the colony at that time. This was the fuel used for cooking in homes and in the bakeries since butane gas had not yet been introduced to the colony. Production ranged between 271 850 cubic feet in 1938 and 317 500 cubic feet in 1951 (Zisman 1992). The trade was reduced considerably with the imports of butane cooking gas. No additional figures are available for the period after 1951. Species used for this purpose included buttonwood, oak and red mangrove, with the oak representing only 1% of the total quantity.

Until a few years ago the inmates of the Prison were still being taken into the mangrove stands just outside the Belize City limits to cut mangrove stems to use as firewood in the prison stoves. Some of the other bakeries in the city also used those mangrove stands as a source of firewood.

Charcoal was manufactured and believed to have been used by the Coastal Maya who first occupied this part of the world. History reveals that charcoal was definitely used by the early buccaneers for curing of turtle and manatee meat. Today hundreds of pounds are imported annually to supply the weekend and holiday demand for social/recreational needs. An undocumented amount is manufactured and consumed locally utilizing craboo and scrubby oaks from pine and savanna forest areas.

Gaps in the data and information about woodfuels

No single organization or institution has assumed responsibility for the maintenance of accurate records detailing source, amounts, value, agent responsible, and end-user for the extraction and utilisation of woodfuels from the forests. The Forest Department maintains records of all permits issued out of its various offices. On occasions individuals would request Petty Permits to extract small amounts of firewood from nearby locations. However, this is the exception rather than the rule.

The Ministry of Trade maintains records of all imported goods, but quantities (of charcoal) produced locally are mostly unrecorded.

Trees outside forests (TOF)

Review of qualitative and quantitative data related to TOF: assessment and inventory methods, data basis

Commercial Fruit Plantations are not considered within this sector. It is instead interpreted to refer to those ornamentals or individual fruit trees that are planted in the yards of residential homes, in urban and rural areas. A method of determining the number of trees planted outside forests was utilized for the Land-Use Change and Forestry Sector report of the Climate Change project. This was based on the number of residential lots distributed across the country. The estimate was based on familiarity with the culture of the various parts of the country where trees were planted for a variety of purposes. An average of four trees per yard was assumed to produce an estimated of about two hundred and fifty thousand trees. 1994 had been chosen as the baseline year or Belize, so the estimate was based on the number of house and village lots established by the end of that year. That report recommended that a proper statistical method be utilized to determine a more accurate and reliable number of trees outside forests.

Institutions concerned in TOF assessment

The Forest Department and the Central Statistical Office in the Ministry of Finance would be the most likely to be involved in this exercise.

Strengths and weaknesses of existing methodology in information and data gathering

The only known method applied to date was not scientifically reliable or accurate. A formula needs to be developed.

Non-wood forest products

Status of NWFP

A very significant component of the forestry sector is most often overlooked. This is the consumption and utilisation of forest products by local communities. Although employees of the government departments, NGOs, the logging and sawmill companies, the furniture makers and some tourism establishments are all part of this group, there is a still larger group who benefit from the presence of the forest estate. These are the immediate families of all those other employees. Without the estate or resources, the employment opportunity would probably not exist, and other sources of income would need to be identified and utilized.

Another non-timber use is for basic building materials, such as, bush poles, and leaves used for thatch. Many smaller do not grow to sizes suitable for sawmill conversion, but produce poles useful for construction of sheds, pens, corrals, and fences on farms and ranches. Residents of many rural communities still use these materials to build their homes, until their status improve to the stage when they can purchase the fashionable dressed lumber, concrete blocks, cement, and galvanized zinc now used for construction. This utilisation of forest products tend to be more common where villages are located short distances away from or on the edge of the forest. Even with the greater availability of other building materials, costs and traditions help to sustain the practice of village and farm (rural) residents using these other materials for basic shelters and storage units. Government has long recognised that these are goods and benefits which need to be sustainably managed to satisfy a segment of the population.

The sustenance and protection of biodiversity becomes more urgent when observations are made about the widespread extraction and use of medicinal plants taken from the forests. Even with improved medical services throughout the county, a strong traditional use of natural herbs and medicines remain and seems to be increasing as more people get into the business of local processing for local sales.

Ecotourism and bushmeat

No statistics exist about bushmeat hunted for and sold in the ecotourism sub-sector. Some of the restaurants, including those in the city, able to are able to provide bush or game meat as a part of the menu on a fairly regular basis. The Forest Department requires that a permit be obtained fur hunting of certain game animals and birds. Deer (white-tailed), red-brocket deer (antelope), Crested Guan, Curassow, and Ocellated Turkeys are only few of those species hunted and consumed with or without permits. Thousands of tourists have probably had the opportunity of sampling such fare.

Past, present, and future trends of the NWFP for local consumption, exports and imports

Non-wood Forest Products in Belize include items or materials such as medicines; vines for hand-crafted baskets, mats, hats, etc.; and leaves for thatch. The hand-crafted items are popular tourist souvenirs. The level of production should show an increase in proportion to the number of tourist arrivals since this is the main market. The major lies in the sustainability of the supply of raw materials as habitat decreases while demand increases, but no plans are in place for artificial regeneration or replacement of source. One manufacturer of Rattan furniture is already importing raw material, while experimenting with local plantations designed to guarantee a sustainable supply.

Recreation and tourism

The information recorded about visitors to the country is not available in a format suitable for comment or analysis of the subject above,.

Data on ecotourism

Belize is a country with about a population of about 220 000 (209 000 is the official figure quoted in the 1990 census). Tourists visiting the country therefore contribute significantly to its economic development. In fact the Government has placed Tourism second only to Agriculture in its development priority. The number of tourists visits over the period 1988 to 1995 averaging at 151 000 persons per year, serves to emphasize the impact on the entire infrastructure (Abstracts of Statistics 1996). Of this number, up to 40% of these tourists visit Belize for the Ecotourism experience. Besides those who only wish for the sea and sun experience, there is a growing number who visit National Parks, Forest Reserves, the Zoo and other places of cultural significance such as the Maya Ruins. It is now being recognised and acknowledged by the politicians/decision makers, that this another area in which the forestry sector contributes to the Gross Domestic Product. Unfortunately none of the economic impact of tourism is credited to this sector, although a justifiable case could be made. There is a growing trend of small lodges or family owned/operated hotels being established in communities or villages near to the forest reserves boundaries where their tourist package depend on access to and availability of the resource. Hiking trails, horseback riding, overlooks of geographic features, the wake-up calls of howler monkeys (baboons) or the very small chance of seeing a live jaguar within its natural habitat are some of the opportunities being marketed by this group of people who depend on this sector. While it has long been established that forests have recreational value, statistical data and local experience is showing what impact the opportunities a rich and extensive forest estate creates for economic development.

Ecotourism is a growing industry in this country. With about 42% of forests under some form of protection there are great potentials for development in this area. Improvement of the infrastructure within the national parks will enhance the experience of the visitor. Again, proper management of the facilities will allow the visitor capacities to be increased without creating too much negative environmental impacts on the system. The exercise to develop a National Protected Areas System Plan identified certain ecosystems which were missing from the present network. Inclusion of these should fill the niches and increase the potential for research while increasing the biodiversity of the system. Intellectual Rights Agreements need to be negotiated and finalised to prevent uncontrolled exploitation and to ensure that Belize benefits from any products developed as a result of research in the national parks or on products collected from these areas. Better facilities at the sites will enhance visitor experience and attract greater numbers.

Statistical data about tourism is not segregated in order to identify activity specific to ecotourism.

However certain trends were recognised in the 1998 National Human Development Report. If the number of hotels/beds and the number of persons employed in the tourism sector are considered as indicators, it would be noticed that there is steady growth. The summary table below displays the trend.

Source: National Human Development Report, 1998.

Personal comments from officers of the Tourist Board and others in the industry suggest that the tourists who experience the ecotourism features of the country account for up to 40% of the total number of visitors to the country.

Socio-economic importance of forest ecotourism

In general tourism generated an average of about US$70 million between 1997 and 1998. The same report stated that Belize tourism generated more than US$94 million in 1998. The government has also placed great priority on the tourism sector for development.

Local communities have and continue to benefit from tourism based on natural forests. Income generation is a form of direct benefit experienced the through provision of services such as guiding, transportation, sale of handicraft items, food, and even lodging to the visitors. Some are temporarily or periodically employed as cooks or labourers to provide logistical support to those groups involved in research activities in the reserves/protected areas. The Bed and Breakfast is a popular approach to gain economic benefits while offering opportunities for cultural exchanges between the host and the visitor.

Potential challenges facing the forestry sector in regards to increasing the popularity of forest ecotourism

If all the stakeholders capitalizing on ecotourism were to be accommodated, there would not be any area of forest remaining as forest reserve. Instead it would be all "national parks". This would probably preclude timber harvesting as an activity tolerated within such a system.

The responsible agencies have to step up the pace at which management plans are developed and implement in order that carrying capacities are not exceeded, then leading to deterioration and degradation of the source of the income generation.

Watershed protection and management

Information on watershed protection

The Hydrology Unit of the National meteorological Service identifies eighteen watersheds in Belize. At the same time the country could be divided into sixteen major catchment areas with fifteen additional areas which are not as well defined.

Responsibility for water resources protection and water quality monitoring is shared among different agencies as a result of different pieces of legislation that have been passed over the areas. The Ministries of Natural Resources, Environment and Industry Forest and Environment Departments); Public Health; and Public Utilities, Energy, and Communication (National Meteorological Service and the Water and Sewage Authority); are all in jointly responsible for the management of the country's water resources. A Pro-Tem Water Commission has been sporadically active since 1993 in order to try to draft some efficient mechanism to manage this important natural resource. Water Management Legislation is presently being drafted.

Potential human and natural impacts on watershed protection

Most of the settlements in Belize are centred around waterways or water bodies. This originated from the fact that this was the sole means of movement in most parts of the country as recently as fifty years ago. Fortunately for Belize, the majority of the watersheds lie within protected areas. This produces relatively low pressures for additional settlements and development at this time. One area of impact has arisen within the last eight to ten years with the building and operation of a dam to provide hydro-electric power on the major river.

Natural impacts are the threat of pollution from storm runoff, or erosion following wildfires. This can only be mitigated by putting proper monitoring controls in place along with proper management practices.

Recycling and other re-use of fibre

Approximately thirty thousand tons of bagasse is produced by the end of each sugar-cane grinding season at the sugar factory in the northern district. About 90% of this is recycled by burning to generate steam and then energy for use in the same factory.

FORESTRY POLICIES, LEGISLATION AND INSTITUTIONS

The current forest policy of Belize has been established since 1954. This official national Forest Policy statement can be summarised as follows:

1. to create, maintain on a permanent basis, and develop a national forest estate, with recognition of the needs for agricultural development, forest products, (both industrial/ commercial and local), the protection of the natural environment and of special nature reserves;

2. to improve the forest through regeneration techniques; and to increase production from the forest;

3. to improve the quality of exported products to achieve assured markets;

4. to promote good forestry practices on private forest land;

5. to manage public lands outside the forest estate not yet used for agriculture.

6. to promote a public awareness of the importance of forests;

7. to maintain an adequately staffed and financed Forest Department to carry out the objectives of the forest policy.

Efforts are presently underway to revise this policy statement in order to address the needs for protection of biological diversity, and for the involvement of stakeholders (local communities) as partners in forest management and in the decision-making process.

Forest management laws and policies, including taxation

The forest department has recently adopted a mission statement describing its objective as follows:-

"To guarantee the conservation, protection, management, and utilisation of Belize's forest resources and its biological diversity, while ensuring that the productive capacity of the forests for both goods and services is maintained or enhanced for the sustained development of the Belizean people".

Since the establishment of the forest department in 1922, there has been continual growth and development in human resources and in the infrastructure. Today there is a comprehensive set of laws, rules and regulations which are part of the tools used to implement the forest policy of managing the forest estate. A copy of the original policy statement in included at Annex 2. During the period that the forest department was the beneficiary of the Forest Planning and Management Project (FPMP), one of the activities initiated was a review of the entire set of laws, rules, and regulations pertinent to the forestry sector. This exercise included a revision of the 1954 forest policy statement. A draft was received from the consultant, but the process of finalizing the draft has not been completed as yet. A copy of the revised forest policy statement is also included at Annex 3.

The only direct method of revenue generation from the forest resources is in the form of Royalties. This is a form of tax which is levied according to the volume of round wood extracted from the forest. Once the trees are identified as suitable for felling, the forest officers who supervise these operations then estimate the volumes of the timber extracted and this amount is collected from the license holders. The royalty rates range from Bz $1.24 /cu. ft. (US$0.62), for the primary species, to $0.12 (US$0.06) for the secondary hardwoods. Pine is valued at $0.34 /cu. ft (US$0.17). In one area an additional management charge of Bz $0.41 (US$0.21) has been levied on the pine because of the infrastructure of roads available to the license-holder. Species such as Rosewood and Ziricote are taxed according to weight at $80.00 per ton because they were primarily used for wood sculpture (carvings), and other hand-crafted items for the tourist trade. A complete list of the royalty rates is attached at Annex 4.

In 1996, a Statutory Instrument was passed by the Cabinet which made it possible to collect entrance fees from visitors to our national parks. This has now become another source of direct revenue from the forest estate.

Forestry legislation

The most important pieces of legislation in place for the allocation and exploitation of forest resources are:

_ the Forest Act of 1927; this provides authority for declaration and dereservation of forest reserves, the authority and responsibility of the department's staff, defines forest offences and prescribes some penalties;

_ the Private Forest (Conservation) Act of 1945; provides for some opportunities to implement proper forest management practices over private land, and some control over the practices on such land;

_ the National Parks Systems Act 1981; this is used to protect land, animals, geographic features and biodiversity by declaring them as one of four categories of protected areas;

_ Forest Rules of 1980; these prescribe the conditions for exploitation of the forest resources;

_ Statutory Instrument Number 56 of 1995; this represents the most recent revision of the taxes or royalties imposed on logs harvested from national and private lands.

Private and public sector involvement in forestry

The government's role in the forestry sector is that of manager, supervisor, and monitor. The Forest department is responsible for the implementation of the forest policy, the administration of the rules and regulations, the management of the national forest estate, the monitoring and supervision of all types of activities occurring within the forest estate, and for law-enforcement activities in the sector.

The department receives annual allocations from government's Recurrent Expenditures for the financing of all the activities scheduled during the upcoming year. This is sometimes supplemented by Capital II allocations which are sourced from surpluses generated by the government during the past year. Additional finances are sometimes obtained in the form of grants or loans provided by international agencies through bilateral or multi-lateral development projects.

The sawmilling industry is comprised of about six large mills with capacities averaging 1.5 million board feet per annum, operating between 10 to 12 months per year. Two of these are in the Orange Walk District, three in the Cayo District and one in Toledo District. There are about forty other small outdated and inefficient sawmills scattered countrywide whose operations depend on the state of the weather and the supply of logs. The larger sawmills (at least three) are operating under Forest Management Licenses designed by the Forest Department/Forest Planning/ODA team, allowing extraction of timber under sustained yield conditions from Forest Reserves. The majority of loggers extract logs from National and private lands. There are a large number of loggers who acquire extraction permits from the Forest Department and sell the logs to the sawmills operating in the District. These loggers are able to operate almost freely and cannot be said to contribute to sustainable forestry management, but they seem to be tolerated because of the lack of administrative and monitoring capacity within the appropriate authority, i.e.- the Forest Department. The available resources tend to be concentrated on monitoring activities of license-holders in forest reserves. The activities of these loggers contribute to the degradation of the forests when occurring on national lands, but may be considered suitable or appropriate when conducted on land planned for conversion to agricultural use, only if environmental protection is ignored. At the peak of the season, during the dry months of March through May, there may be as many as 2 500 persons employed in logging and sawmilling activities; although this can be reduced to about 400 during the rainy months when the majority of the sawmills have to be closed down due to the inability to fell and extract logs, and the absence of good all-weather roads on which to transport the logs.

Investments in forestry and forest products

The companies active in the industry seek financial and technical assistance through their own initiatives, although this is usually for investments in equipment and physical plant. On one or two occasions the (forest) department has been able to provide in-country training in fields such as timber drying and lumber grading. These occurred during the period when the department had the benefit of bilateral project input. Most of the employees in the industry are taught or learn their skills on the job.

Institutional capacity in forestry

Those staff members of the Belize Forest Department who are directly and fully involved in forest management are listed in the generalized pattern below.

This management staff is supported by a complement of Clerks, Stores-keepers, Mechanics, and some hourly- paid employees providing services as drivers, equipment operators, labourers, etc.

The set of laws, rules and regulations, one dating back to 1927, are some of the tools utilized by the forest department (or by the minister responsible for forestry) to achieve the objectives of the mission statement. The 1927 Forest Act provides the authority to declare forest reserves, to administer such reserves, to determine and collect royalties on forest products, and to make regulations for the protection and disposal of such forest produce. The same Act describes the level of authority of forestry officials, prescribes penalties for forest offences, and provides for the declaration of forest roads The authority is vested in the minister responsible for forestry matters who may or may not act on the advice of the Chief Forest Officer - the Head of the department. The authority extends to applying the provisions or regulations of the act to both national and private lands, and provides for the revocation of any order. The minister responsible for forestry is also empowered to make regulations for proper administration of the act, to make regulations for the taking/extraction of forest produce, for squatting in forest reserves, lighting fires in reserves, allowing farm stock to graze in forests, hunting, clearing or cultivating land within forest reserves, quarrying land-fill materials, burning lime, and controlling activities on forest roads.

The complement of Statutory Instruments, Acts, Rules, Regulations, and Amendments in existence has produced a forest estate comprised of forest reserves and national parks covering approximately 37% of the country. Some silvicultural practices such as thinnings, prescribed burns, and reseeding, compliment the efforts towards sustainable forest management being applied in a few selected forest reserves at this time, as example of the objectives of improving the forest and to increase forest production. The NGO involvement serves to help in the areas of promoting public awareness, in introducing forestry practices on private land, and in managing private land outside the forest estate. The government of the country continues to sustain the forest department with the annual allocations under the National Budget described as Recurrent Expenditure. This fund is occasionally supplemented by funds committed by international organizations through projects, or by additional funds provided by the Belizean Government for special projects which do not normally form a part of regular operations.

Environmental issues related to forestry

There are a number of identifiable issues related to forest practices and activities in Belize. Deforestation and inequitable employment can be recognised as two such not easily resolved issues. The first is not caused by forestry activities alone, but also by almost all the other developments occurring in the country. The second is a matter of perception due to the trend that is now more noticeable. As forests are depleted in the northern half of the country, those companies located in that part of the country now apply for and receive licenses to harvest timber in the southern part. These companies usually have their full complement of trained and experienced employees and find it difficult and possibly counterproductive to employ a majority of the crew needed from the locality.

This leads to some resentment, and may even reach the level of vocal complaints and protestations to opposing politicians or environmentalists who further exploit the situation.

There are a number of issues related to the current forest policy objectives of this country which have become evident. Concerns over the rate of deforestation; the exploitation of the forest resources without up-to-date statistical data available to the department causing negative impact on the resource; the amount of land locked up in protected areas; the lack of involvement of the public in the process of issuing forest licenses; the procedure used to issue licenses and the persons or companies who are given permits to exploit the forest reserves and forested national lands, are discussed briefly here.

For a number of years it has been estimated that the country was losing forests at the rate of about 7 000 acres per year. This rate was based on guesswork alone, because no accurate details were being kept about all the changes contributing to the loss of forest cover. The expansion of towns and villages by the addition of new subdivisions and farming areas respectively were not being surveyed and measured and mapped in all areas. The expansion in the agricultural sector taking the form of new citrus orchards, banana plantations or cane fields always occurred on land originally covered with national forests. Even when these lands were issued by the Lands and Surveys Department, they were not always accurately surveyed. The same was the problem with the building of new roads. If old roads were realigned, or completely new ones built, these inevitably went through forested areas. The amount of forest lost on the sides could easily be three to four times the width of the carriage way by the time the roads was completed. The cumulative effect of the deforestation is such that the forest was actually being lost at about five times the rate that was assumed between 10 000 to 12 000 hectares per year (Tremblay 1996). Splinter groups moving away from established village sites and squatting elsewhere was another form of encroachment and even logging activities contributed to the deforestation by the opening of truck passes/logging roads and log landing for temporary storage of logs before transportation to the mill site.

The issue of increased deforestation has arisen because of the activities of various groups or organizations. They all seem to consider the forest as an obstacle in the path of their special interest/development plan. Very little thought is given to examining options on how the resource could be changes with minimum environmental impact. In some cases, the loss is greater in economic value than the infrastructure which replaced the forest and costs more to sustain.

The exploitation of forests without accurate statistical data is not only related to the issue of deforestation, but also to that of sustainable forest management. Without this kind of information available, no quotas or limits in the form of annual allowable cuts can be applied on the majority of logging licenses. The resulting over-cutting is immediately evident in the small-sized logs being harvested and the decreasing volume of timber recovered today. These signs definitely do not suggest sustainable harvests. The complete loss of the forests would be the end result if such practices are not brought under control within a fairly short time. The system of using girth limits to allow the harvesting of logs can also have negative impact on the quality of the forests. When those trees above the established standards ( measured at about four and half feet above the surface of the ground) are harvested, all the bigger specimens are eventually removed. A forest of immature stock is left behind and the continual return to the same area to extract more in later years leads to degradation due to the damage caused to the regeneration. The removal of only a few selected species results in the loss of biological diversity within the forest because of the loss of the tree itself as well as the loss of the habitat for those organisms for which the tree was host. This is generally the result of improperly controlled industrial activity.

There are some lingering perceptions about the department's capability to manage the resources. The lack of properly trained staff and the lack of equipment were blamed for the perceived failure to properly manage the forest estate. This particular issue has begun to be addressed in the form of additional training for some staff members when a total of officers have had the benefit of overseas training lasting from eight moths to two years. Those other staff members who did not participate in those training programmes received several months of in-country training through modular courses which was purpose designed for them along with personnel from the non-government organizations involved in natural resources management and environmental education. Equipment in the form of vehicles, computers, radio network, and repairs to buildings were procured and completed during the implementation of two five-year bilateral projects resulting from the Tropical Forestry Action Plan Programme. Observations made over the next five years may determine whether the forest department has been able to deal effectively with this issue. At the same time, other mechanisms need to be developed to allow the forest department to sustain the staffing levels as well as support equipment. There is also a need for sustained political support if the department is to perform its job according to the policy, laws, and regulations.

Several public awareness programmes launched by both NGOs and government have been effective enough to awaken the public to the value and the distribution of protected areas now existing in the country. These same campaigns have increased the public_s awareness about the restrictions on their behaviour imposed by the change in status of certain areas of land. Since the public became more aware of the extent of forest reserves and other protected areas, there have been a few instances of objections to the declaration of more preserves. It is usually the result of some individual developer or company who assumes that giving such status to an area will have a negative impact on his development plans. The assumption is that the land is locked away from the public_s use. Some plea for farmland where small acreages of suitable soils may fall within the borders of national parks, or they may protest against the fact that they can no longer hunt or fish inside such areas. The same public awareness / education programmes are working to change attitudes or traditional practices so a gradual acceptance is being achieved, more quickly when the practical benefits in the form of alternate sources or means of generating income is realized.

Recent events in the country have raised questions about the procedures or practices used to award forest licenses to individuals or companies. The award of a long-term forest license to a Malaysian owned company in the southernmost district has received attention in both local media and in those of some states in the USA. While it is recognised that the country needs foreign investments and it has been a long-standing one to attract such, it was felt in some quarters that the selection process was not adequately addressed. Objections have been raised at the local community levels by the resident Ketchi Indians of this part of the country and some have gone to the extent of serving notice of court action on the Government of Belize and have approached environmental organizations for financial assistance. This issue may have been exaggerated through the intervention of politicians and because the issue might have been misidentified. The protestors claim a sell-out of their Patronage instead of a procedural lapse in awarding forest license. The incident has also served to focus attention on the need for greater public participation during the process to approve applications and granting forest licenses.

The current practice of acquiring a forest license for exploitation of forest produce requires only a few stages in the process. An applicant may proceed to one of the district forest offices or to the headquarters in Belmopan to complete an application form. The area being requested under license is identified in written description or by a sketch map attached to the form. The Chief Forest Officer appends some comments and recommendation to the Minister responsible who may or may not approve the application based on the advice given. At present, there are no technical parameter guiding the selection process to decide on a suitable operator. This problem is compounded by the already mentioned lack of accurate data about the available stocking of timber and the estimated potentials for future harvests.

The bigger operators are becoming increasingly concerned about the large number of small operators who are acquiring forest licenses. Most of these small operators possess minimal equipment, such as, chain saws, rubber wheeled tractors and flat bed trucks. Some do not own even a single piece of equipment. None of their operations are sustainable. The large number of this category of license-holders make it difficult for the forest department staff to effectively monitor and control their activities. It also creates a situation which is not beneficial to those logger/sawmillers who wish to invest in equipment to improve their production. The competition for the resource is strong, but those who do not invest have the advantage for the same reason. They are able to harvest and convert with low capital costs. Many loggers simply sell their logs to any saw miller who wishes to purchase. Some operators almost obsolete circular saws which produce conversion rates of round logs to lumber below 30%.

The issue tends to be mostly between the large and small operators, but both the staff of the department and the environmentalists recognize that the situation is one which leads to over-cutting of the forest and to deforestation in some places. It is imperative that plans be implemented to alleviate the impending shortage of growing stock and potential crash of the industry.

The regulations prescribe a process of auction or tender sales for some classes of forest products but this has not been applied for decades. This applies to cases where only one type of forest produce would be extracted under that license.

Another related issue had arisen because of a policy of the Lands and Surveys Department to convert leased land to property after the leased-holder had accomplished some level of development. Unfortunately development was often interpreted as removal of the vegetation cover from the land, thereby contributing to deforestation. Dialogue with senior personnel of that department was effective in introducing a clause in the terms of the land leases which served to reverse the unwarranted land-clearing practices. Lease holders were encouraged to retain a portion of the land under vegetation, and the department considered the value of land as being improved if steps were taken to improve the condition of the portion of forest remaining on the parcel. The Revised Land Utilisation Act made provision for environmental protection so land clearing is now considered in its true impact.

Biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability

An exercise was completed over a twelve-month period during 1998 and 1999 resulting in the production and publication of a National Biodiversity Strategy and a National Biodiversity Action Plan for Belize. These documents were produced through a national consultation process and presents a recipe and time-table for activities and other inputs designed to protect Belize's biological diversity of species within their natural habitats and ecosystems.

Soil and water conservation

Soil and water conservation is expected to be achieved through the involvement of a number of government and non-government agencies who all have policies and mechanisms to apply to this end. The Lands And Surveys Department, Forest Department, Water and Sewage Authority, Help for Progress. Agriculture Department, Geology and Petroleum Unit, Hydrology Section of the NMS, and Department of the Environment are only a few of the organizations accepting some level of responsibility in this area.

Indigenous peoples issues

A national organization was organized to defend the rights and provide a medium for indigenous people. The Belize National Indigenous Council is an umbrella organization for a number of smaller local groups such as the Garifuna, Ketchi Maya, and the Mopan Maya among others. Such peoples appear to concentrate more in the southern half of the country, but small populations are almost everywhere.

THE OUTLOOK FOR THE FORESTRY SECTOR

Assumptions underlying different scenarios (population and income changes, changes in the structure of the economy, policy and institutional arrangements, level of investment, state of science and technology). Expectations from the forestry sector in 2005, 2010, 2020 in the following areas:

_ Changes in forest area, forest cover, growing stock. Given the current trends in national development priorities, it is expected that forest area and forest cover will both decrease. In its quest to eradicate poverty, the Government of Belize has focussed its thrust in sectors of the national community designed to address this problem. Programmes such as increasing agricultural efficiency, expanding agricultural capacity, and providing thousands of homes for needy families will certainly infringe on the range and extent of natural vegetation cover. However, the management of the Forest Department acknowledges that there is a need to seek a balance between the perceived and the real forest resources required in order that the forests will be able to sustain the level and quality of goods and services it provides now. The growing stock could be in better condition in terms of species composition and biomass if the trend to intensify forest management is maintained. It is expected that management plans will be developed and implemented in all protected areas as the human and financial resources become available. Greater involvement in management at the local community level will help to mitigate the negative impact of agricultural and population expansion. The statistical data available at this time does not allow projections to be made for any specific period.

_ Ownership and management of forest and tree resources. Belize is a pioneer in the Latin, Central American and the Caribbean regions for the institution of legal arrangements for the co-management of publicly owned protected areas. The Belize Audubon Society, a local non-government organization negotiated a legal agreement with the Government of Belize to manage six National Parks on behalf of the responsible agency (the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, and Industry). The agreement was formally documented in 1995 although it had been informally arranged since 1991. Since then similar arrangements are being planned and developed for adoption by other local community-based and non-government organizations. This indicated that there will be more direct involvement of local people/ groups in owning and being responsible for the sustainable management of forest and tree resources.

_ Production of wood and other products. With the range and extent of forests displaying a decline, it is expected that wood production will decrease in the short and medium term. However more intensive management should reverse the decrease in wood production to the extent that a sustained level of production should be possible in the long- term, about fifteen to twenty years from now. Greater industrialisation of the sector should result in increased production of manufactured and value-added items.

_ Contribution of forests to income and employment. Area under sustainable management. The 1995 World Bank Report indicated that about 30% of the Belizean population was determined to be poor according to the criteria established for such assessments. An undocumented but significant portion of this segment of the population depend on the forests near their communities and homes for sustenance. While Belize does not need fuel for home heating, all need energy for cooking. Firewood is most often obtained by local people travelling into the forests and collecting dead or dying material. This service to poorer people has not been valued by any survey. On the other hand, there are small businesses dependent on the supply of firewood, palmetto sticks (for construction of fish traps), bush poles/sticks (for use in construction and farm structures), leaves (for roofing/thatch), and bush medicines. The number of persons participating in the trade is not recorded, but it is known that there are some whose entire income is generated from the sale of such materials.

By the end of 1999, there were about thirty-five sawmills of various capacity in operation in the country. About one thousand persons were employed in this sector at the peak of the dry season when all activities were underway. Related industries such a furniture-manufacture and wood- carving provided employment for an estimated two hundred persons.

STATE OF FOREST INDUSTRIES

The forest industry of Belize can be determined to be relatively under-developed. Less than 50% of the sawmills in operation have grown beyond the stage of primary conversion. Only two of six large mills have added planers, molders, and other pieces of machinery designed to produce value-added products. This is mainly the result of the short duration of the harvesting licences, so not much opportunity is provided for increased investment and development.

_ Trade of forest products and the extent of dependence on forest products imports/exports;

_ contribution to environmental values.

SOCIAL VALUES OF FORESTS

Critical factors to improve the situation, or to avoid the pessimistic scenario:

_ changes required a) within the forestry sector, b) outside the forestry sector;

_ feasibility of changes, strengthening the positive factors, and mitigating the negative impacts;

_ roles and responsibilities of various agencies (government, private sector, NGOs, civil society, donor agencies, etc.).

REFERENCES

A History of Belize: Nation in the Making, 1996. Cubola Productions, Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize.

Alder, Denis, 1993. An Assessment of Broadleaf Forest resources and Sustainable Yield in Belize. Consultancy Report No. 11. Forest Planning and Management Project, Ministry of Natural Resources, Belmopan, Melize.

Arnold, J., Armitage, F., Bender, W., Brokaw, N., Palmer, J., Pringle, S. 1989. Belize Tropical Forestry Action Plan. Report to Government of Belize, U.K. Overseas Development Administration, U.S. AID, Canadian International Development Agency, FAO.

Belize Abstract of Statistics - 1996. Central Statistical Office, Ministry of Finance, Belmopan, Belize.

Casteneda, A. 1999. Land Use Change and Forestry Sector Report - First National Communication to the Conference of the Parties . United Nations Convention on Climate Change. Belize.

Howell, J.H., 1994. Belize Tropical Forestry Action Plan, First Quinquennial Review Document.

LIC, 1994, The Land Use of Belize 1989/92: Land Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Belmopan, Belize.

McCalla, W., 1995. Compendium on Environmental Protection And Natural Resources, Management Legislation in Belize.

Manzanero, R., 1997. Belize Protected Areas: Country Report, Belmopan, Belize, Central America

National Human Development Report, 1998. "Placing People at the Centre of Our Development".

National Human Development Advisory Committee (NHDAC), UNDP.

National Protected Areas Systems Plan for Belize; Complete Report, Volume 2. 1984.

Programme For Belize, 1995. Towards a National Protected Areas Systems Plan for Belize, Synthesis Report. Inter-American Development Bank.

Rosado, O., 1985. Progress Report of the Forest Department: Prepared for the Twelfth Commonwealth Forestry Conference, Belmopan, Belize.

White, W.A., Raney J., Tremblay, T.A., Crawford, M. M., and Smith, S.S., 1996. Deforestation in Belize 1989/92 - 1994/96. University of Texas at Austin.

World Bank, 1996. Belize Environmental Report - No. 15543-BEL. Caribbean Division Country Department III, Latin America and the Caribbean Region, British Development in the Caribbean (BDDC), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and Switzerland Trust Fund.

Zisman, Simon, 1992, Mangroves in Belize: Their characteristics, use and conservation: Consultant's Report No.3, Report of the Mangrove Ecologist: Forest Planning and Management Project, Ministry of Natural Resources, Belmopan, Belize.

Zisman, Simon, 1996, The Directory of Belizean Protected Areas and Sites of Nature Conservation Interest, NARMAP.

ANNEX 1: ACRONYMS & CONVERSION FACTORS

List of acronyms

Conversion factors

1 000 sticks firewood = 20 cubic feet cordwood

100 bundles = 21 cubic feet cordwood

1 square kilometre = 0.4 square miles

1 hectare = 2.5 acres.

1 cubic metre = 35.41 cubic feet

1 cubic foot = 12 board feet

ANNEX 2: FOREST POLICY OF BRITISH HONDURAS

(now Belize, based on Colonial Secretary's Office, Belize, 2^nd September, 1954

The following Forest Policy of the Government of British Honduras as approved by the Governor in Council is published for general information: -

The Forest Policy of the Government of British Honduras is:

1. To established, preserve for all time and develop a Crown Lands Forest Estate consisting of areas of Crown Land in any of the following categories:

(a) land unsuitable for permanent agriculture but supporting or capable of supporting forest;

(b) land capable of producing a greater sustained financial return, if retained or developed as forest than if used for other purposes;

(c) land which is best kept or put under forest for the better protection of watersheds, catchment areas, drainage basins, steep hill slopes and for the prevention of erosion, the control of run-off, the regulation of steam-flow and the stabilization of the climate;

(d) areas that are required for the production of fuelwood for use in towns and villages or by local industries, or for the production of rough building and fencing materials for local use;

(e) areas which from time to time may be set aside as nature reserves.

2. In order to establish the Forest Estate, to survey, demarcate and constitute as forest Reserves by proclamation, all Crown Land areas described in paragraph 1 above. Forest Reserves once constituted will only be de-reserved wholly or in part by the Governor in Council as a result of some over-riding public necessity.

3. In order to preserve the Forest Estate, to maintain demarcated boundaries by clearing of traces and maintenance of boundary marks as may be necessary to afford protection to the forest from fire, animals, insect pests or diseases, trespass and illicit felling, removal of or damage to forest produce, by such measures including legislation as the Government may deem advisable and practicable; and to place all exploitable Forest Reserves under sustained yield management by enumeration surveys, and calculation of increment or other practicable methods of yield control of exploitation, and by their yield of timber and other forest produce will be maintained in perpetuity.

4. In order to develop the Forest Estate, and thus ensure an adequate and increasing supply of timber and other forest produce at a reasonable price to the people, industries and timber trade of British Honduras, and for export; to establish intensive regeneration centres in selected forest reserves. At these regeneration centres, the aim will be to create fully stocked forests or plantations of mahogany, cedar, pine or other species including exotics by artificial or intensively-assisted natural regeneration over areas adequate to supply in perpetuity a sawmill or processing plant of economic size at or near each centre.

5. To increase production from Forest Reserves by ensuring full utilisation of prime hardwoods and pine, and encouraging the use of secondary hardwoods and other forest produce; by developing local and export markets for small dimension stock of prime hardwoods and pine; for secondary hardwoods and other forest produce; by exploring the possibilities of other forms of Forest utilisation, for example for paper pulp.

6. To raise the quality of sawn lumber exported to world markets by the institution of Timber grading, the encouragement of seasoning and of accurate sawing and machining to specification, in order to achieve assured markets for British Honduras timber abroad.

7. To promote the practice of forestry on freehold lands, by the control of felling of mahogany, cedar and such other species as the Government may deem advisable, by the inspection and marking for felling of trees of these species to specified minimum girth limits; encouraging and assisting landowners to draw up and implement simple working plans for the sustained yield management on approved lines of their forest land in the categories described in 1 (a), (b), and (d) above; and by encouraging and assisting afforestation on private lands.

8. To control the exploitation of forests and forest produce growing outside Forest Reserves on Crown Land not yet taken up for Agriculture by the issue of Forest produce licenses framed in such a way that these forests, which are a wasting asset on land allocated to agriculture, will continue to augment the yield from Forest reserves for as long as a time as possible during the period when forest reserves are being brought up to full production.

9. To bring about an increased appreciation of the need for and aims of forest conservation amongst the general public by propaganda over the British Honduras Broadcasting Station, and to the schools.

10. To maintain a Forest Department of sufficient strength and supplied with sufficient funds to carry out the Forest policy set forth in 1 to 9 above; supported by an adequate research programme; and to staff the Forest Department with personnel recruited locally so far as possible and trained at established University Schools of Forestry, or at Forester training schools, or locally, as may be appropriate to the different grades.

Dated this day, 28^th October, 1954.

By Command,

P.M. Renison, T.D. Vickers

Governor. Colonial Secretary.

M.P. 759/53

ANNEX 3: PROPOSED REVISION OF THE FOREST POLICY OF BELIZE (McCALLA, 1994).

The Forest Policy of Belize seeks to:

(a). Achieve an equilibrium between conservation of forest related natural resources (biodiversity, water, soil and oxygen) with the productive development of the forest sector, within the framework of sustainable development.

(b). Adapt forestry administration to focus on promotion and support, making the technical and administrative procedures efficient, in order to enhance the productive process.

(c). Conserve and support the increase of Natural forest products and establish and regulate protected forests. At the same time, increase the national forest inventory through the recuperation of areas with good forest potential, bases upon technical criteria.

(d). Develop a forest management plan which will demarcate conservation areas for forest reserves and facilitate the transfer of land, where this is appropriate, between forestry and agriculture and for agro-forestry uses.

(e). Examine ways to assist in the development of a more efficient and competitive forest industry through modernization of industrial process, adequate methods of commercialization, forest pricing, the elimination of restrictive barriers and the gradual elimination of industry protectionism.

(f). Raise the value added of forest resources by promoting the establishment of industries, such as furniture production, veneers.

(g). Increase the capacity of forest management through investigation, training and forest extension; accomplished in coordination with the public and private sectors and with universities through mechanisms of technological transfer.

(h). Establish long term sustainable forest licenses which are governed by comprehensive management plans.

(I). Ensuring that environmental consideration are taken into account in the formulation and implementation of forest management practices.

(j). To raise public awareness on forestry conservation practices and regeneration methods.

In order to implement its forest policy the Government of Belize will: -

1. Establish, preserve for all time and develop a state lands forest estate consisting of areas of state land in any of the following categories: -

(a) land unsuitable for permanent agriculture but supporting or capable of supporting forest.

(b) land capable of producing a greater sustained financial return, if retained or developed as forest rather than if used for other purposes

(c) land which is best kept or put under forest for the better protection of watersheds, catchment areas, drainage basins, steep hill slopes, for the prevention of erosion, the control of run-off, the regulation of streamflow and the stabilization of the climate.

(d) areas which are required for the production of fuel wood for use in towns and villages or by local industries, or for the production of rough building and fencing materials for local use.

(e) areas which from time to time may be set aside as nature reserves.

2. In order to establish the forest estate, to survey, demarcate and constitute as Forest Reserves by proclamation, all State Land as described in paragraph 1 above. Forest Reserves, once constituted will only be dereserved by

(a) consultation with the public;

(b) consultation with the Department of the Environment.

3. In order to preserve the Forest Estate, to maintain demarcated boundaries by clearing of traces and maintenance of boundary marks as may be necessary to afford protection to the forest from fire, animal and insect pests or disease, trespass and illicit felling, removal of or damage to forest produce, by such measures including legislation as the government may deem advisable and practicable; and to place all exploitable Forest Reserves under sustained yield management by enumeration surveys, and calculation of increment or other practicable methods of yield control; by control of exploitation and by natural and artificial regeneration or tending operations, so that their yield of timber and other forest products will be maintained in perpetuity.

4. In order to develop the Forest Estate, and thus ensure an adequate and increasing supply of timber and forest produce and a reasonable price to the people, industries and timber trade of Belize, and for exports; to establish extensive regeneration centres in selected forest reserves. At these regeneration centres, the aim will be to create fully stocked forests or plantations of mahogany, cedar, pine or other species including exotics by artificial or intensively assisted natural regeneration over areas adequate to supply in perpetuity a sawmill or processing plant of economic size at or near each centre.

5. To increase production from Forest Reserves by ensuring full utilisation of prime hardwoods and pine, and encouraging the use of secondary hardwoods and other forest produce; by developing local and export markets for small dimension stock of prime hardwoods and other than pine; for secondary hardwoods and other forest produce; by exploring the possibilities of other forms of forest utilisation, for example for paper pulp.

6. To raise the quality of sawn lumber exported to world markets by the institution of lumber grading, the encouragement of seasoning and of accurate sawing and machining to specification, in order to achieve assured markets for Belizean timber abroad.

7. To promote the practice of forestry on freehold lands, by the control of felling of mahogany, cedar and such other species as the Government may deem advisable, by the inspection and marking for felling of trees of these species to specified minimum girth limits; encouraging and assisting landowners to draw up and implement simple working plans for the sustained yield management on approved lines of their forest land in the categories described in 1 (a), (b), (c) and (d) above; and by encouraging and assisting afforestation on private lands.

8. To control the exploitation of forests and forest produce growing outside Forest Reserves on State Lands not yet taken up for Agriculture by the issue of Forest produce licenses framed in such a way that these forests, which are a wasting asset on land allocated for agriculture, will continue to augment the yield from Forest Reserves for as long a time as possible during the period when forest reserves are being brought up to full production.

9. To bring about an increased appreciation of the need for and aims of forest conservation amongst the general public.

10. To maintain a Forest Department of sufficient strength and supplied with sufficient funds to carry out the Forest policy set forth in 1 to 9 above; supported by an adequate research programme; and to staff the Forest Department with personnel recruited locally so far as possible and trained at Established University Schools of Forestry, or at Forester training schools, or locally, as may be appropriate to the different grades.

11. To encourage the development of forestry industry in Belize by

(a) regulating and licensing sawmills;

(b) encouraging the manufacture of timber and the development of timber products.

ANNEX 4: CURRENT ROYALTY RATES

ANNEX 5: FOREST RESERVES

Note: all forest reserves are managed by the Forestry Department.

ANNEX 6: PROTECTED AREAS