By Breaking Belize News Staff: Last year, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management and the Belize Forest Department informed of a moratorium on the issuance of Short-term Forest Licenses and Petty Permits for the cutting and harvesting of trees from national land throughout Belize for a period of five (5) years.
At the time, the Ministry also said that individual applications for Short-term Forest Licenses and Petty Permits for the cutting and harvesting of trees from lands held under leases will be reviewed more stringently and meticulously with a view towards conservation and protection.
But as the moratorium commences in its first year, lumber yards, builders, contractors and cabinet markers across Belize are feeling the squeeze as they are unable to source hardwoods for projects.
Only a limited number of lumber yards across the country are able to obtain logging permits, while many others rely on purchasing and reselling lumber, leaving them with increasingly narrow profit margins.
Many individuals within the logging industry depend on the sector for their daily livelihood, and while conservation efforts are widely supported, stakeholders say the new measures have significantly reduced opportunities to revive and sustain the industry.
Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet says that those within the logging industry should have been prepared.
“We recognize the concern of the logging industry, but if we take it from this standpoint, that way back in 2021 we had informed the people who do the logging that we would be cutting down on a yearly basis ten to fifteen percent of those yearly logging concessions, and so by now, five years later, they should have been prepared. In addition, we had informed them that if there was a deficit in local hardwood logs for lumber, that they would be given permission or licenses to import some of that lumber, type of lumber that they needed. Up to now, as far as I know, I think two companies imported some. One, they can buy lumber from those concessions that are sustainable yearly concessions. Two, they can also purchase logs from those people who are getting licenses and permits for cutting down the logs in their private – private lands because we have not stopped the issuance of permits and licenses for the cutting of logs in private lands,” Habet said.
And in response to the shortage, Minister Habet encouraged those companies to contact people who are getting permits to purchase from them.
The post Minister Habet: Logging industry “should have been prepared” following shortage of hardwoods due to 5-year moratorium appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Last year, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management and the Belize Forest Department informed of a moratorium on the issuance of Short-term Forest Licenses and Petty Permits for the cutting and harvesting of trees from national land throughout Belize for a period of five (5)
The post Minister Habet: Logging industry “should have been prepared” following shortage of hardwoods due to 5-year moratorium appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.