Project Example: Elijio Panti

In our shorter jungle expedition to Belize in July 2007, a group of 13 volunteers worked in Elijio Panti National Park for 10 days. They had already completed 8 days of jungle training, and were going on to do 8 days of trekking in Chiquibul National Park, before relaxing for a few days at the end.

Elijio Panti is the newest national park in Belize, and Trekforce had completed 3 other gap year month projects there since 2002, including constructing a visitor's centre in 2004.

See timelapse images of this project

Aim

The aim of this expedition was to create a camp site area with a water collection point, and wash facilities at a Mayan offering cave, central to the importance of the park. The camp site would consist of a Palapa (thatched shelter) for hammocks and cooking shelter, with a system required to collect the water from a nearby spring and an area for washing.

Why is Trekforce's work important?

1. The ongoing protection of Belize's natural resources through National Parks, Nature Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries is only guaranteed upon the government being satisfied that the protected area is sustainable and being used.
2. The work that Trekforce does ensures the ongoing maintenance and infrastructure development to attract visitors to the park.
3. This then helps the project partners to provide proof of use to the government, so that there is reason to keep the area protected.
4. Elijio Panti has a notoriously bad entrance road and this is compounded by the fact that the worst section is in the first few kilometres, and is owned by the government. The more reason there is for the government to see the park being used, the more likely it is for the road to be upgraded, hence letting the park be more accessible.

Why protect Belize?

Belize is a relative anomaly in Central America compared to surrounding country as it is over 70% covered in jungle with 44% of its lands protected. The continent as a whole has lost 50% of its natural habitats to agriculture or urban areas. The Belizean rainforest is vitally important as some of the remaining link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, a habitat of biodiversity stretching across Central America which ensures the ability of species to migrate around the continent through their native habitats.