Maya Leaders Hope Calakmul Declaration Will Bring Support to Communities

The Maya Leaders Alliance in collaboration with the Toledo Alcaldes Association (TAA) and the Julian Cho Society have issued a press statement expressing hope that the newly signed Calakmul Declaration will bring meaningful support for the Maya of Southern Belize. The declaration is the historic agreement between Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico, that would create the Great Maya Forest Biocultural Corridor.  According to the release, the declaration’s focus on “biocultural” is a crucial step, acknowledging that the success of conservation efforts depends on the communities living within and around these forests. The Great Maya Forest is often referred to as “the second largest tropical rainforest in the Americas” after the Amazon. Covering over 14 million acres across the three nations, its preservation is considered key to addressing the global climate crisis. While significantly smaller than the Amazon, which spans hundreds of millions of hectares, the Maya Forest plays a crucial role as one of the last remaining “lungs of the planet.” It is a vital habitat for a huge range of biodiversity, including endangered species like jaguars, tapirs, and scarlet macaws.  In an interview yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture, and Immigration Francis Fonseca elaborated on the agreement’s components.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “The primary objective of that trilateral meeting was to sign  this biocultural agreement, creating a biocultural corridor which covers land in three countries including a number of the reserved areas that we have in Belize. It was a statement from all three countries that we are absolutely committed to the protection of the environment, we’re committed for future generations to create this biocultural corridor which will protect the rainforest and protect the diversity and the flora and fauna and animals that live in that space. So I think it was a very historic agreement that sent a very strong message from Belize and our neighboring countries about our commitment for future generations of the protection of the environment.”

Minister Fonseca noted that The Calakmul Declaration is a framework for collaboration, and that it’s not just about drawing lines on a map; it’s about a shared commitment to sustainable development, regenerative tourism, and honoring the ancestral wisdom of the Maya people.