Illegal harvesting of copal resin in the Chiquibul poses new troubles for the FCD

Guatemalans have found a new reason to continue incursions into the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. The harvesting of copal resin has become the latest attraction driving an increase in illegal cross-border activity inside Belize’s largest protected area.  According to the Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) Executive Director Rafael Manzanero patrol teams are encountering a growing number of trespassers who are entering the reserve specifically to extract the valuable tree sap, which has suddenly surged in demand across the western border.  Manzanero confirmed that as recently as last week, FCD rangers detained a Guatemalan national deep within the reserve during a routine patrol. He says such encounters are becoming more frequent, pointing to a persistent challenge for Belize’s conservation and security efforts as cross-border harvesting activities intensify.

Raphael Manzanero, FCD: “About a week ago we detained one of the Copaleros and so we learned more about how they are doing this illegal activity, how far they are actually doing it, and also to understand more the environmental threats we are facing as a result of that extraction. So the person was detained, the person was charged by the Forestry Department and also Immigration and so there were three charges that were laid on the individual which I guess it would amount to around $6,000 Belize that the person would have to pay or either stay in jail here in the country. What we can say is that over the more recent months we have seen a surge in terms of that extraction of that product. Normally in the hills or the sloped areas in the Chiquibul you will see some of these trees much more dominant. So what we have gathered is that the Guatemalans they would break into small groups of three or four of them in small little units and they’re basically able to “own” the hills or the mountain. So each group would have their particular sections of that ridge that they would take. We have observed that in the northern area of the Chiquibul National Park which is the Vaca Forest Reserve and more moving south towards the Chiquibul National Park as well we have seen human activity with extraction of that resin.”

The copal resin, a natural substance harvested primarily from Bursera trees, has played an important role among Indigenous Maya and other Mesoamerican communities, valued for both spiritual and practical purposes. Traditionally, it is burned as ceremonial incense during prayers, cleansing rituals, and cultural ceremonies. It is also widely used in traditional medicine to ease respiratory ailments, inflammation, and minor infections; varnishes and natural sealants, especially in wood finishing and restoration work; aromatherapy and perfumery for its distinctive pine-like scent; and art conservation, as a binding agent and protective coating  Despite its longstanding cultural use, Manzanero says copal resin has inexplicably become a high-value commodity in Guatemala, driving organized efforts to collect it illegally from Belize’s protected forests.

Raphael Manzanero, FCD: “In the indigenous communities, this resin is used like for offerings, you know, in prayers that they would do. So Copal has traditionally been used by the Maya, but now it seems that there is a vibrant market for that, you know, for that produce. Like what I said, I don’t know if it’s also exported at this time, although there are also cooperatives that are more organized in terms of collecting that in Guatemala so it might be possible that it’s also being exported. And also it is expanding more from what it appears. So you know, it’s one that we are detecting more now. And what we observed on the camp where the person was detained, which was right by the boundary of the Chiquibul National Park there are just like the xatero days, we see camps that are very actively being used and so it seems to me that there is a vibrant industry that is just also you know swinging in terms of that copal.”

FCD, supported by the Belize Defence Force and other law enforcement agencies, continues to heighten patrols and interception efforts. Manzanero says safeguarding the Chiquibul remains a national priority, as the reserve represents a vital piece of Belize’s ecological heritage and a crucial barrier against escalating illegal exploitation.