The Belize government and a Canadian corporation want to put in a hydroelectric dam in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. If this goes forward, 22 miles of the Macal River valley would be flooded, destroying many wildlife habitats and archaeological ruins.

The area to be flooded is well known for a huge diversity of plant and animal life, and it has the only known nesting site in the entire country for a species of the scarlet macaw. Currently the birds number less than 250. The proposed area is also home to some of the best jaguar habitat in the country as well as home to animals like the Morelet crocodile, the ocelot, tapir, and spider monkey (all are becoming rare).

Animals won’t be the only thing losing out: Four Maya ruins were recently found in the area and studies have yet to be done on them. If the dam becomes a reality, information about the ancient Maya in this area will be lost forever.

Proponents want to build the dam to increase water storage capacity and year-round water flow to make a downstream dam more profitable. As with many things, opponents are afraid that the clout of big money will win out over environmental concerns.

Read also Outside magazine's May 2003 article, Last Flight Out, an examination of the ecological impact of the Macal River Dam.

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