Can Chocolate Save the Rainforest?

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cacao podCan chocolate save the rainforest? BFREE has been exploring this question for many years, beginning when our certified organic shade-grown cacao demonstration farm was planted in 2006. Since then we have worked diligently to provide educational opportunities and support for those interested in learning more about the benefits of shade-grown cacao. We have offered workshops and training programs for local farmers which have provided Belizeans with the tools necessary to grow sustainable and successful crops. BFREE along with students of UNC Wilmington have co-produced ‘The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook.‘  This handbook is a resource manual for anyone interested in growing cacao in Belize.

Due to its high value and its success as an understory crop, cacao is proven to be a great alternative to other forms of agriculture in the tropics which generally require clearing of tropical rainforests and heavy input of agrochemicals.  Therefore, we have been promoting shade-grown cacao as a method for restoring the forest canopy and to help improve the lives of local farmers by offering higher income and healthier working environments, while also maintaining and expanding rainforests, and providing habitat for birds and other wildlife. Growing chocolate is a win-win; it’s good for the environment and can improve farmers’ livelihoods.

cacao agroforest

Pedro Rash and Elmer Tzalam manage BFREE’s cacao agroforest.

 

Cacao Pod photo credit: Graham Byers

The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook

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500 copies of the handbook are now available in Belize

500 copies were produced in the first handbook printing.

The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook is now complete and available in Belize. A joint effort between BFREE and UNC Wilmington’s Department of Environmental Studies with significant input from experts at the Cocoa Research Centre at the University of the West Indies, the handbook describes the benefits of sustainable agriculture for humans, wildlife and forests.

The 70-page manual is filled with illustrations and simple descriptions intended to guide farmers through the basics of land preparation, nursery management, planting, maintenance, harvest and post-harvest. The ‘Resource,’ section of the Handbook includes checklists, management schedules, and cultivation records, to help farmers track their farm activity and keep on schedule throughout the year. The hope is that this new handbook will provide a comprehensive resource for cacao farmers whether just starting out or experienced, and help promote organic cacao-based agroforestry practices as an alternative to traditional agriculture that often required clearing of rainforest and intensive agro-chemical inputs.

Five hundred handbooks were produced during the initial printing and will be made available to farmers in the Toledo District through farmer cooperatives, during meetings and workshops, in farm supply stores in Punta Gorda, at this year’s Chocolate Festival of Belize, and at the BFREE field station. In late January, the first books were distributed to BFREE staff who will share them with their village leaders and community members.

Partial funding for the Belize Cacao-based Agroforestry and Restoration Project (BCARP) is provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, on behalf of the Nyanza Natural Resource Damage Trustee Council – comprised of the Service, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

BFREE staff with Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook

BFREE Staff members pose with their copies of The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook in January 2017 at the BFREE Field Station.      Standing from Left to Right – Carmelita Shol|San Felipe Village; Patron Coc|San Marcos Village; Apolonio Pop| Santa Cruz; Jacob Marlin| BFREE; Pedro Rash| Indian Creek.    Seated from Left to Right – Thomas Pop|Golden Stream Village, Thomas Chub|Indian Creek; Elmer Tzalam|Golden Stream Village; and Cesario Pop|Silver Creek.

 

Primary School Book Drive

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Today, I’m writing to you as a reader and a lover of books.  Some of my fondest early memories involve Saturday morning visits to our neighborhood library in North Carolina. My dad and I would browse our favorite sections and leave with stacks of books.  When we reached home, he would recline in his chair and I would curl up in a beanbag nearby and we would lose ourselves in other worlds for the rest of the weekend. Reading never felt like a luxury; it felt like my right as a human being. Whenever I had questions about anything my dad would point toward the shelf of Encyclopedias and command me to, “Look it up!” This became and remains my mantra – though the tools I use to access information are very different now. And in spite of the fact that I read less books and tend toward short articles, I always have access to the information that I desire through libraries, bookstores, and online.

Schoolkids at Bladen Village School look through "Biodiversity of the Bladen," books that were donated by BFREE and the Doursons in 2013.

Schoolkids at Bladen Village School look through “Biodiversity of the Bladen,” books that were donated by BFREE and the Doursons in 2013.

In Belize, things are different. Especially in the south where life if much slower and access to material goods is limited. Schools in the southernmost Toledo District are under-resourced and families struggle to pay required school fees and provide basic school supplies and uniforms for their children. In Belize, books are a luxury – even in schools. Classrooms are equipped with a chalkboard, some desks and tables and chairs, usually mismatched and often broken. Teachers take on the responsibility of providing room decorations, learning aids, classroom materials of all sorts and even books. They do this through fundraisers in their school’s community in which they write letters to organizations in the area and sell items like snacks. They also use their own wages to ensure that their students have a chance to learn.

Over the years, BFREE has worked with communities that buffer our reserve and the Bladen Nature Reserve. We visit classrooms and bring students to the field station on day trips. We have also donated supplies and materials. In 2013, BFREE and the Marlin kids helped Golden Stream Government School establish their library with a large donation of books and with materials for building bookshelves. This school library has since expanded and the school plans to open the library to the community on the weekends allowing more access to the precious resources.

In late 2015, I was approached by an eager US high school student who was interested in a service project that would benefit Belize. Through a series of books drives and with the help of Terry Biehl and Laura Calton, that student, Brianna Biehl, collected well over 600 books as well as some resource materials and classroom supplies.

We invite you to participate in our last push for books and supplies prior to making the shipment at the end of the month. Please read below for the list of current items requested.

Thank you for considering our request and for your continued support!

Heather Barrett

 

If you are interested in donating new or gently used books or resource materials, please mail or deliver them to:

US for BFREE
2602 NW 6th Street, Suite D
Gainesville, FL 32609

Below is our Wish List:

Books for pre-K through 8th grade on the following subjects:

•Health and Wellness
•Nutrition

Teacher Materials:

•Resource and Activity Guides
•Unlined paper/ copier paper
•Classroom Posters
•Crayons
•Chalk
•Construction Paper

For more ideas, visit our Amazon Wish List here.

Also, here is a great resource for books about Belize. Cubola Publications www.cubola.com

Finalist in Wildlife Vaasa Film Festival

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BFREE’s documentary film, “Wings of Hope,” was selected as a finalist in Finland’s Wildlife Vaasa – International Nature Film Festival. Created by Emmy-award winning filmmakers, Richard and Carol Foster of Wildlife Film Productions, and produced by Carol Foster and Jacob Marlin of BFREE, the film is about the re-discovery of wild Harpy Eagles in Belize.  “Wings of Hope,” is being considered for a Special Award in the category of “Best Ethnographic Film (Man & Nature)” and will be judged against 15 other finalists from countries including Ghana, Nepal, Russia, Serbia, Peru, Italy, India, Estonia and the USA.

"Wings of Hope," a documentary film on Harpy Eagles in Belize, will be included in the Wildlife Vaasa Film Festival in Finland later this year.

“Wings of Hope,” a documentary film about the re-discovery of wild Harpy Eagles in Belize, will be included in the Wildlife Vaasa Film Festival in Finland later this year. Photograph by Kai Reed.

This year, Vaasa Wildlife Festival  received a total of 922 submissions from 83 countries, which was a  new record for the festival. From that original submission, 218 films from 54 countries were selected to be shown in the festival and to compete for awards. Submissions come from film companies, TV companies, production companies, independent producers, filmmakers, festivals, TV- broadcasters and journalists, as well as from newcomers and established professionals.

About Wildlife Vaasa International Nature Film Festival

Wildlife Vaasa International Nature film festival is located on the West Coast of Finland, and has been held in the city of Vaasa every second year, since 2002. Since its conception, it has grown in stature receiving commendation from participants, delegates, media and the public world-wide. The upcoming 8th biennial edition of the festival will take place from September 28 to October 2, 2016. The competition aims to raise public awareness , as well as to participate in a global dialogue about Nature and The Environment. Therefore, only Nature and Science documentaries related to Nature and produced after 2013 were accepted in the competition. The festival’s special themes in 2016 are ENERGY & GLOBAL WARMING. Wildlife Vaasa Festival is the only film festival of its kind in Scandinavia.

About “Wings of Hope”

In 2015, BFREE released, “Wings of Hope,” a film chronicling the re-discovery of a population of wild Harpy Eagles in the Maya Mountains of southern Belize. The film details the history of the BFREE and UNC Wilmington initiative born from this discovery – the Integrated Community-based Harpy Eagle and Avian Conservation Program.  This 20-minute documentary is rich with breathtaking footage of adult and juvenile Harpy Eagles and other wildlife and vistas found in the pristine tropical forests of the Bladen Nature Reserve. Over the seven year duration of the project, the Fosters followed project trainees William Garcia, Liberato Pop, Alejandro Cholum and Thomas Pop as they work to learn about and ultimately save this rare bird and its diminishing habitat.

“The story captures the essence of BFREE’s mission. I think of it as a model for integrating science, education and conservation.” Jacob Marlin, Executive Director of BFREE.

In August and September 2015, the film was shown in schools and community centers throughout the Toledo District of Belize in order to raise awareness of the significance of continuing to protect wilderness areas like the Bladen Nature Reserve and the greater Maya Mountains. Over 1,100 people were reached during those events.

Liberato Pop and William Garcia pose with students at Julian Cho High School after a film showing in 2015

Liberato Pop (center) and William Garcia (right) pose with students at Julian Cho Technical High School after a film showing

Liberato Pop of Bladen Village was one of the project trainees and is featured throughout the film. In recent years, he has worked all over Belize doing bird research using expertise gained from his years of experience as an avian technician for the project. Mr. Pop, along with Mr. William Garcia of Trio Village, represented BFREE and answered questions about their work during film showings in 2015.

Mr. Pop says of the film, “As an Avian Technician at BFREE, I am very excited about the Harpy Eagle film and the work we have done. I think that many students and parents were interested to learn about the value of what we have in our protected areas.”

Project trainees include: Abidas Ash, Alejandro Cholum, Alan Romero, Frank Perez, Henry Perez, Liberato Pop, Macario Coy, Marlyn Cruz, Pedro Pop, Roni Florian, Sipriano Canti, Thomas Pop, William Garcia, and Wilfred Mutrie

2016 Field Courses

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BFREE  hosted 210 students and instructors through our field courses this season. Groups came from the United States and from within Belize to engage in hands-on learning.  While at BFREE, students were introduced to on-going conservation projects at the field station like the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center and the cacao and coffee agroforest. Some students took the opportunity to participate in the Small Mammal Community study established in 2015 and just introduced to field courses this year.  They also participated in hikes and river walks to get a feel for the rainforest. For those who stayed long enough, instructors assigned independent projects in which students were tasked with developing research questions and collecting preliminary data – often presenting results on their last evening at BFREE.

When exploring other parts of Belize, students visited banana plantations, participated in cultural homestays, snorkeled at the Belize Barrier Reef, and saw wildlife up close at the Belize Zoo. See below pictures from the first half of the field season.

Visit our Flickr feed for more images!

January

“Eat Locally: Think Globally” led by Amy Treonis and Elizabeth Ransom, University of Richmond

“Biology “ led by Glenn Johnson,  SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam learns about cacao fermentation

SUNY Potsdam learns about cacao fermentation

“Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Belize” led by Sara Ash, University of the Cumberlands

U of C students make friends with the kids in their homestay family

U of C students make friends with Golden Steam kids during their homestay. Pic provided by Sara Ash

“Tropical Ecology” led by Farley Brown and Charlotte Rosendahl, Sterling College“Biology” led by Kelly Mahan Etcheverry, Canterbury High School

“Protected Areas in Belize,” led by Abigail Parham Garbutt and Godfrey Arzu, Independence Junior College, Belize

“Wildlife Biology,” led by Sean Collins, Lees McRae College“Tropical field Biology,” led by Sean Werle and team, University of Massachusetts, AmherstUniv of Massachusetts students implemented independent research projects

Univ of Massachusetts students implemented independent research projects. Pic by Sean Werle

“Tropical Ecology,” led by Matthew Brady, Keene High School, New Hampshire

“Tropical Biology,” led by Paul Pickhardt and Gregory Smith, Lakeland College, Wisconsin

“Tropical Biology,” led by Maarten Vohhof, Western Michigan University

Education Committee Advancing Education and Long-term monitoring at BFREE

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Dr. Stewart Skeate of Lees-McRae College and Sipriano Canti, BFREE Head Ranger and Tour Guide tag trees in the cacao grid for the fruit phenology study

Dr. Stewart Skeate of Lees-McRae College and Sipriano Canti, BFREE Head Ranger and Tour Guide, tag trees in the cacao grid for the fruit phenology study

BY DR. PETER ESSELMAN
US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY and BFREE BOARD MEMBER

The BFREE Education Committee was convened in late 2014 to help BFREE deliver the highest quality field courses possible. The committee is chaired by board member Dr. Peter Esselman (US Geological Survey), and composed of professors with long running study abroad programs at BFREE, including Dr. Sara Ash (University of the Cumberlands), Dr. Stewart Skeate (Lees-McRae College), Dr. Maarten Vonhof (Western Michigan University), Dr. James Rotenberg (University of North Carolina Wilmington and BFREE Board Member), and Mr. Mark Lucey (Vermont Commons School).

University of the Cumberlands students learn to extract small mammals from Sherman Traps as part of the small mammal community study.

University of the Cumberlands students learn to extract small mammals from Sherman Traps as part of the small mammal community study.

Over the past year, the committee met monthly and developed a model for curricula that would simultaneously provide valuable field-experiences to students and high-quality data to BFREE’s science and conservation programs. Two curricula have been developed and piloted so far, focuses on comparing small mammal communities and tree flowering and fruiting patterns between cacao and broadleaf forest habitats (developed by Dr. Ash and Skeate respectively). Additional curricula are in development including: a study of bird communities in edge, cacao, and forest habitats; invasive tilapia abundance and effects on native fauna; and stream macro invertebrate community composition and structure. Once piloted, each will be available for implementation by any of the many student groups that come through.

Through the commitment of the Education Committee members, BFREE is not only enhancing its educational offerings, but also contributing to scientific understanding of the Maya Mountains of southern Belize.

Rotary Wheeling to BFREE

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Interior of Composting toilet

Interior stall of one of the composting toilets at BFREE

By Caitlin Addison-Howard, Rotary Toilet Project Coordinator

Our group of Rotarians from Corozal Rotary Club #1794 was charged with bringing back information on a working composting toilet design. The toilet needed to meet a few requirements: low or no water use, a model that would improve the general health of students and an inexpensive and sustainable design.

Little did we know when we contacted Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) that we would soon be awakened from our environmental stasis and enter the Matrix.

Yes, we knew that a composting toilet had been designed and built at BFREE. We called ahead and had been assured that the units had been working efficiently for over a year. The idea of driving down the Hummingbird Highway to visit the site and experience the toilet gave us a feeling of adventure and expectation.

The adventure quickly became even more challenging. We found that BFREE was located in the Bladen Nature Reserve and we would be “hiking in” about six miles off the main road. Our group dwindled to five and we started packing our bags for the journey.  At the last minute one of our Rotarians came up with a vehicle that he said would take us “all the way”. The drive was beautiful and the terrain went from the flat lands of the Corozal District sugar cane fields to the rolling hills of Stan Creek and Toledo.

At the entrance to Bladen Nature Reserve we parked the car and piled into the four-wheel drive for the last leg of the trip. A Safari could not have been any more fascinating. At the end of the road, we shouldered our packs and crossed the Bladen River. Crossing that river was tantamount to crossing the River Jordan. We came seeking a vision of a sustainable, effective composting toilet. Just one day later we crossed back over the Bladen as converts to the beauty of that toilet. It fulfilled our list of requirements and more.

Jacob Marlin and his courteous staff gave us all the support and information we needed to bring back to our home club. They fed us, led us through a night walk in the jungle and we left knowing that BFREE would be a sacred place in our minds for a long time to come.

Support BFREE’s outreach programs on Giving Tuesday

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After their visit to Belize Zoo, Golden Stream students received Harpy Eagle shirts.

After their BFREE field trip to the Belize Zoo, Golden Stream students received Harpy Eagle shirts.

#GivingTuesday started last year as a charitable answer to the retail shopping days of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. This year, BFREE would like you to consider donating to our outreach education programs to schools in communities surrounding BFREE and the Bladen Nature Reserve.

Since 2007, BFREE has offered outreach programs to primary school students in the neighboring villages of Golden Stream, Trio, Bladen, Bella Vista, San Jose, Indian Creek, San Isidro and Medina Bank. These programs have taken the form of classroom visits and field trips and encourage students to learn about and appreciate the forests and wildlife in their backyard. With over 1700 students participating over the past six years, we are encouraged and excited to continue to grow these programs.

In response to the recent Harpy Eagle sightings near some of the communities, BFREE focused its efforts on Harpy Eagle awareness in 2012 and 2013. With the help of the Belize Zoo, we hosted five field trips in 2013 to the zoo so students could see Harpy Eagles up close and learn more about these amazing creatures. The Mountain Corporation helped support our efforts with donation of specially designed t-shirts to the project.Golden Stream

During the next two years, BFREE plans to expand our outreach focus to introduce students to agroforestry and investigate how cacao and other shade-grown crops become healthy homes for wildlife, including migratory birds who travel between the Canada, the United States and Central America.  Help us to expand our curriculum to include agroforestry and offer more field trips to BFREE in 2014!  Our goal is to raise $1,500 to host field trips for 5th grade students this year.

Follow this link to donate to BFREE on #GivingTuesday!