Belize Forest Department hosts workshop on Green Laws

Park rangers and management staff from across the 7 protected areas co-managed by the Belize Audubon Society (BAS) converged at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary for training on Green Laws. The workshop objective focused on training staff to interpret the relevant Acts and to understand how to execute their duties under the Green Laws, namely the National Protected Areas System Act (NPASA), the Wildlife Protection Act and the Forest Act.The Forest Act revision was key for staff as it includes the Chainsaw Regulations, Forest Rules and Mangrove Regulations. A part of the training was spent showing participants how to calculate the possible charges, using the new Schedule. The training concluded with a review of basic considerations on patrols – planning, data collection, evidence collection, use of the Caution Statement and rights of the individuals and consideration in the writing of statements.The Green laws training took place on April 8th and 9th at the Cockscomb Basin. The training, funded by the PACT, was facilitated by the Forest Department and the National Biodiversity Office (NBiO)