Barranco is the last village on the southern coast of Belize. Maps will show that Barranco village stretches from the Moho to the Sarstoon River, so most of the natural resources on the coast falls within Barranco. As the dry season draws near, loggers have their eyes on that precious timber resource standing in the village territory. Recently, PGTV received many calls about logging concessions being handed out to people that are not from the village and that the villagers were not informed of such concessions. By law, the villagers not only need to know but they must be consulted first. We contacted the Chairman of Barranco for comment and his response was, that he is only aware that a few people applied for logging concessions but does not know if any were granted. The law however states that before a concession is given out, the chairman of the village must give his approval after consultation.
The Voice of Southern Belize
