Introduction
Tri-national plan acclaimed—but critics warn of Maya train threat
On 14th August 2025, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico unveiled a cross-border reserve spanning 5.7 million hectares to protect the ancient Maya Forest, in what Mexico’s president hailed as a “historic” move to safeguard “one of Earth’s lungs.” The pact—announced at a summit in Calakmul and branded the Biocultural Corridor of the Great Mayan Forest—would create Latin America’s second-largest reserve after the Amazon. Environmental groups applauded but warned the measure must not be merely symbolic.
The leaders also discussed a proposal to extend Mexico’s controversial Maya Train into Guatemala and Belize. The rail line, championed as a development corridor, has drawn environmental criticism in Mexico.
Officials promised to share information, technology and training to fight forest fires, clamp down on illegal logging and coordinate law-enforcement across borders. The need is pressing: multi-year drought and rainfall deficits have intensified in parts of the region, while ranching, oil-palm and new roads gnaw at the forest.
Belize’s prime minister framed the pact as cultural stewardship—“not only protecting an ecosystem, but also honouring the legacy of the civilisation that once flourished” there. The initiative builds on earlier protections, including Mexico’s 1989 decree for Calakmul and Guatemala’s 1990 creation of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Petén, with Belize expanding conservation across its share of the forest.
Peaceful Assembly
Court orders cane farmers’ association to pay damages over mill blockade
On 28th July 2025, the High Court of Belize ruled on two consolidated civil claims (Nos. 86 and 87 of 2022) brought by Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) and its affiliate Belize Cogeneration Energy Ltd (BCEL) against the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA)—the oldest and largest association—and four farmers.
The claims arose from a protest blockade between 28th and 31st December 2021, when some sugar cane farmers parked trucks across the entrances to BSI’s mill and staff residences in Orange Walk during a dispute over the absence of a new commercial agreement. The parties reached an agreement on 31st December 2021 and cleared the blockade, but the mill did not restart immediately. Supplies of cane to the mill recommenced on 3rd January 2022. According to the ruling, milling operations and electricity generation were halted for three days, causing financial losses.
The Court found that a mass protest occurred due to the lack of agreement and that farmers protested with their trucks at BSI’s gates and premises. It also declared the BSCFA complicit in the blockade and held the association and farmers jointly liable for trespass and unlawful interference with economic interests. The Court awarded damages of BZD 520,674 (approximately USD 259,000) to BSI, and BZD 43,456 (approximately USD 22,000) to BCEL, with costs.
From an international human rights perspective, assessment of restrictions on peaceful assembly and strike action turns on legality, necessity and proportionality. On the facts recorded in the ruling, a key issue concerns whether imposing significant civil damages on farmers constituted the least intrusive means to protect business operations. The ruling, as summarised above, emphasises economic loss; it does not set out an analysis of whether civil liability offered a proportionate response to strike-related conduct.
Peaceful protests by university staff and Maya Centre residents
On 15th July 2025, members of the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union (UBFSU) staged a peaceful protest on the steps of the Office of the Prime Minister. The union called on the government to increase its subvention to the university.
The demonstration followed recent actions by the Belize National Teachers Union and the Public Service Union, which, as part of the Joint Union Negotiating Team, had demanded a salary increase and the payment of increments for teachers. The UBFSU highlighted that the funding issue had become pressing in July. The protest concluded without incidents or detentions.
On 16th July 2025, residents of Maya Centre Village held a peaceful demonstration demanding land expansion for the community. The event included a cultural dance as a symbol of unity. While no response has yet come from the village council or area representative, the community reported that TexBel’s Chief Executive Officer expressed willingness to engage in discussions with government officials, raising expectations of dialogue on the issue.