History of The BBNP
One of the waterfalls that forms part of the watershed and is within the protected area is used for tourism. The upper part of this zone supplies the communities of Steadfast, Alta Vista and Valley Community with drinking water.
The pristine jungles of the Maya mountains majestically looking over the emerald valley has been providing water to the southeastern watershed communities of Belize from the beginning of the 19th century. Potable water has been reaching the homes of three emerald valley communities of Alta Vista, Steadfast and valley Community since 1978. This sweet water emanates from the Billy Barquedier Creek and other tributaries that are now protected by the Billy Barquedier National Park. The creek got its name in the early 60’s because of the Barquedier that was located in the area where the creek exits the park. Barquedier is a place where logs are stockpiled prior to being transported to the sawmill. The name “Billy” derived from William “Bill” Newman, who owned a large portion of farmland where the national park is now located. Therefore, Billy was the one who owned the Barquedier; which made up the name “Billy Barquedier National Park”.
Because of the shortage of land in the Emerald Valley, in 1994 an assessment of the Mullins River Basin was done to verify the possibility of distributing farmlands to the people of the Emerald Valley to avoid encroachment on the steep slopes of the valley. Because of the topography and composition of the soil in the area, this assessment recommended that it would be best to leave the area in its natural state. This recommendation was a wake-up call to the communities of the valley who realized that it was important to protect the area.
The Billy Barquedier National Park was declared in December 2001. Located in the Stann Creek District, south of the Manatee Forest Reserve, it has an approximate area of 1600 acres It is in the category II of the IUCN. The park is co-managed by the Forest Department of Belize and STACA for the conservation of the ecological characteristics of site, protection of the watershed, and promotion and development of the park (Walker y Walker, 2011).
One of the waterfalls that forms part of the watershed and is within the protected area is used for tourism. The upper part of this zone supplies the communities of Steadfast, Alta Vista and Valley Community with drinking water.
The existing ecosystems in the BBNP shelter populations of vulnerable species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), tapir (Tapirus bairdii), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and howler monkey (Alouatta pigra) (Miller and Miller, 1994, Walker and Walker, 2011). The watershed is habitat for migratory birds and other endemics such as the Keel Billed mot-mot (Electron carinatum) and cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea) (Burke et al., 2009, Walker and Walker, 2011).
Logging in Billy's Barquedier
Logging was being done in the Barquedier owned by William "Bill" Newman
The Barquedier has a name
Barquedier is a place where logs are stockpiled prior to being transported; the name “Billy” derived from William “Bill” Newman, who owned a large portion of farmland.
Billy Barquedier provides water
Potable water was reaching the homes of three Emerald Valley communities of
A National Park was Established
The Billy Barquedier was established as a National Park
