The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) is pleased to announce that on Saturday, October 18th, the organization donated ten thousand dollars ($10,000) to the Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) Park Ranger Program, through its telethon. Over the weekend, the FCD held the telethon to raise much needed monies to fund twenty rangers at a cost of twenty four thousand dollars per ranger.
BTB’s Director of Cruise and Regional Initiatives, Valdemar Andrade, said that, “the BTB is privileged to be a part of this step in the right direction. Every year, about ninety percent of the visitors to Belize visit at least one archaeological site or protected area, and it is important for us that action be taken in order to preserve our natural assets for future generations of Belizeans, as well as for visitors who come to experience Belize. FCD has invested a lot of time and effort to protect this part of our national heritage. We know that the challenges they face are numerous, and the sustained threats in the Chiquibul warrant the implementation of increased security measures. Working with the FCD, we will be closer to achieving this.”
Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that co-manages the Chiquibul National Park, one of the protected areas inside the Chiquibul Forest. The Forest, which is over four hundred and thousand (400,000) acres and represents 7.7% of Belize’s landmass, also provides water to forty percent of Belize’s population and is home to rich biodiversity, as well as the world-renowned archaeological site of Caracol.
The BTB congratulates the Friends for Conservation and Development and the telethon organizers for a successful event that raised over three hundred and twenty thousand dollars ($320,000). The BTB wishes Executive Director Rafael Manzanero and the FCD all the best in their endeavors and stand ready to dialogue and engage with partners to ensure that the Chiquibul Forest is protected.
For more information on how you can pledge donations and lend support to the FCD, contact them at fcdtelethon@gmail.com.
