In 2021, IBRU awarded the fourth annual Raymond Milefsky award to Belize-based Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) and Guatemala-based Asociación Balam for their joint work promoting conservation and development in the Belize-Guatemala border region. IBRU’s Philip Steinberg interviewed Executive Directors Rafael Manzanero and Bayron Castellanos.
There are many instances around the world where tense relations across borders have hindered efforts to sustainably manage a region’s resources. How has the collaboration between FCD and Asociación Balam managed to overcome these tensions to achieve collective solutions?
Rafael Manzanero (FCD): In 2007, FCD took over co-management of the Chiquibul National Park, which is the largest protected area in Belize and has a 43.5 km border with Guatemala. From that point onward, a key strategy was to identify a “brother” organization that could support our effort in Guatemala. That was Asociación Balam. Since then, the confidence building process has been ongoing and consistent, with strong support from both countries’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Bayron Castellanos (Asociación Balam): Chiquibul is an area of environmental as well as geopolitical significance: it’s the most important portion of tropical forest for connectivity of the Selva Maya between Guatemala-Belize and Mexico. FCD conserves protected areas that are threatened by anthropogenic pressures coming from Guatemala, so we share the same mission. The territorial dispute and the lack of understanding between the two countries "forced us" to interact as civil society organizations to address cross-border conservation challenges. The two organizations then decided to “take diplomacy out of the governments’ hands” and into the field. Now we work together, promoting the participation of other actors. The agenda is led by civil society organizations, with the support of governments.
FCD and Asociación Balam have demonstrated how cooperating to solve common problems can bring communities together across borders. Is your work also having an impact on how your governments approach the border dispute?
Manzanero: I believe so. Our governments realise that civil society organizations have a role in forging partnerships and confidence. For instance, in 2014, when the governments sought to develop a memorandum of understanding to protect the border region’s environment and natural resources from illegal resource extraction, they drew on the expertise of civil society organisations, including Balam and FCD.
Castellanos: Our strategies for preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage privilege the participation and well-being of local populations. Only then can we be effective. Our governments understand that they cannot do it alone, that they have to let civil society organizations do our job. All they have to do is join us and support our actions. The road is difficult, but the future is promising. The territorial dispute is an issue that will be resolved at a desk, but actions in the field matter, with or without a border.
Although the Belize-Guatemala border dispute appears to be slowly heading toward resolution, it has a history of armed conflict and interventions by security forces. Do border security forces see your work, which explicitly crosses borders, as part of the problem or part of the solution?
Manzanero: They see us as part of the solution. If environmental damage is the driver to conflict then civil society conservation groups like FCD and Balam must be part of the solution. For example, cattle ranching continues to be a major threat and the Government of Belize encourages civil society organisations on both sides of the border to inform the public about its impacts and applicable regulations. In the case of Belize, the Belizean authorities asked FCD to develop the strategy to address cattle ranching. Also of note is that the Belize Defence Force operates along the western flank of the park in cooperation with FCD Park Rangers.
Castellanos: The security forces understand that we are not at war. Their role is to prevent conflicts, which aligns with our mission of conserving one of the most important biocultural landscapes of the Selva Maya. These landscapes do not recognize borders, they extend over countries and most importantly connect us; they connect us as friends, brothers and partners. We must work together!
Both of your organisations concentrate on environmental protection and conservation. Is there something about these issues that is particularly conducive to fostering understanding and cooperation across borders?
Manzanero: Our programme of collaboration and confidence building is directly connected to nature conservation. We have found that science diplomacy, in particular, can be useful for achieving conservation amidst the havoc that is sometimes created by problems at the border.
Castellanos: Conservation of the environment is the means, not the end. The ultimate goal of our efforts is to find a balance between the environmental, social and economic development of the peoples of Guatemala and Belize, so that these heritages are preserved beyond our generation. How can we achieve this? By involving local communities and promoting territorial agendas that foster the economic empowerment of peoples.
What are three lessons for others seeking to conserve shared environments in border regions?
Manzanero: First: Things can easily get out of hand. Field staff must understand the bigger picture so that mistakes can be minimized. Second: Civil society groups can be more agile than governments in initiating bi-national actions and developing trans-border activities. Third: Where border issues are present, governments must provide the platform (through agreements or protocols established by both countries) for the spirit of collaboration to blossom.
Castellanos: First: Conservation practitioners sometimes focus on building strategies, plans and instruments based on technical and scientific knowledge. Instead, they need to build processes that start from the ideas, knowledge, experiences and needs of the local populations that live around these heritage sites. Second: Public policy must be directed at "solving" the needs of the populations and the environment. This requires opening up participation to civil society early in the process. Third: The work between Balam and FCD has made us “brothers.” We are one family solving family problems, so this collaborative work must continue.
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