Illegal Logging in Belize: Policy and Enforcement Mechanisms for a Sustainable Future
Abstract
Deforestation and forest degradation account for a major portion of Global Greenhouse
Gas Emissions. Illegal logging accounts for the majority of all forests harvested
in key tropical countries. While not widely publicized, the major Central American
forests of Belize are of significant value to this industry and have proven incredibly
vulnerable to illegal logging practices over recent years. Since the 1960’s, deforestation
rates have continued to rise rapidly, due in large part to the expansion of citrus,
banana, and sugar cane plantations. Rapid agricultural growth, coastal developments
for tourism, and illegal logging for valuable hardwoods has led to an annual deforestation
rate of approximately 2.3%, which is double the percentage of Central America as a
whole. Should current deforestation rates continue unchecked, overall forest cover
in Belize will decrease to 58% by 2020 and disappear entirely by 2050. This study
recommends improvements for the Belizean forestry industry primarily through an economic
and social examination of current forest management standards gathered through research
and personal interviews with government, NGOs, and various stakeholders. Focusing
on the illegal harvest of rosewood, cedar, and mahogany from Toledo and Chiqibul National
Park over a period of two years, this study ultimately found that that the total value
lost to the Belizean government due to the illegal harvesting hardwoods between 2010-2012
was roughly $USD 490,177. A relatively minor number, this is in fact representative
of a much larger problem--this loss, calculated by estimates of what the government
would have collected through the use of current taxation values-- is only 2.3% of
the overall potential market value of the hardwoods exported during this time. That
is, even if illegal logging were to be eliminated today, Belize is still failing to
capture an adequate portion of the revenues from its natural resource. With a combined
global market of approximately $ USD 21,488,144 and a nominal VAT of 5% with the addition
of minor sums per board foot, Belize should be collecting significantly more than
approximately half a million dollars worth of the total value, and is losing significant
sums of money to foreign countries by failing to conduct and implement an appropriate
monetary assessment and tax policy on their own high-value hardwoods. Ultimately,
there are a number of potential recommendations necessary to address both illegal
logging practices and the issue of high percentage monetary losses on outgoing hardwoods.
In sum, Belize needs to implement a number of policy changes almost simultaneously.
These include increased environmental enforcement mechanisms, a renewed economic assessment
of timber products leaving the country, improved indigenous awareness and education,
exploration of on-site processing plants, and the consideration of international initiatives
such as ecosystem service payment plans that have the potential to help protect Belize’s
forests as well as its people. While these may be instituted in stages, all are necessary
if Belize is to create even a semblance of renewable resource from its forests.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9591Citation
Mulligan, Fiona (2015). Illegal Logging in Belize: Policy and Enforcement Mechanisms for a Sustainable Future.
Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9591.Collections
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