About This Project

Unprecedented wildfires from escaped slash-and-burn farming and/or unsustainable hunting methods are promoting rapid habitat loss in a historically heavily forested area where target at-risk species have a remaining stronghold. We aim to address the blindspots in data regarding at-risk species populations and forest canopy cover (Green et al. 2005). Findings will be communicated through a series of sustainable-farming and anti-poaching campaigns.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, agricultural operations have expanded rapidly as subsistence farmers are desperate to obtain food security and maintain their livelihoods. As a result, deforestation in the Selva Maya of Belize has exploded and threatens key at-risk species and the overall biodiversity of the area. Subsistence farmers are open to alternatives to slash-and-burn but require education and tools to implement change. Illegal hunting and poaching occur in large part because hunters are unaware of hunting seasons. This only exacerbates the problem.

What is the significance of this project?

Slash-and-burn agriculture is one of the main factors causing habitat degradation in the tropics (IUCN 2021). We are hopeful that this pilot program can be replicated worldwide where slash and burn agriculture is extensively used. We believe that by providing alternative sustainable methods as well as creating an environmental consciousness, we will have a lasting impact on our community and their future generations.

What are the goals of the project?

We will target local subsistence farmers (min. 15) for training on alternative farming methods and provision of materials. Other landowners and village youth (min. 75) will be targeted for hunting/poaching campaigns and engaged in surveying, monitoring and habitat creation. We expect wildfires and hunting to decrease as farmers and hunters adopt a sustainable mentality towards resource use. We expect populations of listed species to recover and this will be measured by presence on remote cameras, and canopy cover will be restored and measured through aerial drone surveying.