The Cause
"Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in the Cayo District. FCD is the only non–governmental organization with an assertive management presence in the Chiquibul Forest, representing 7.7% of the national territory.
Day to day, the primary work of FCD, with its partners including the Forest Department, Institute of Archaeology, BDF and the Police, has been to maintain the integrity of natural and cultural resources of the Chiquibul Forest.
The Chiquibul Forest is in the south-western region of Belize with over 423,000 acres of tropical forest (about 4x the size of Barbados). The area includes the largest cave system in Central America, the Caracol Mayan Site, the Chiquibul River which provides water to 40% of the Belize population and so much more. The FCD Park Rangers do the day to day monitoring and research within this vast forest area and provide critical data to the regulatory agencies including the BDF, Police, Forest Department and other authorities about the state of the environment and extent of incursions and encroachments against our natural resources and our sovereignty.
FCD is also pioneering a landscape management program in the Vaca Forest Reserve and leads an innovative bi-national watershed conservation program. FCD provides services for research through the Las Cuevas Research Station, located in the heart of the Western Maya Mountains; runs a wilderness tour operation through Eco-Quest Expeditions, and promotes youth participation through the FCD Environmental Youth Group."
Visit their website: Friends for Conservation and Development
