Land records reveal how Mennonites are reshaping Belize’s forests

Spanish Lookout, Belize — When the Mennonite community acquired a property amidst the Maya Forest Corridor four years ago, conservation organizations expressed alarm. Early land clearing resulted in fires and pollution, despite their failure to complete an environmental impact assessment. Simultaneously, Mennonites challenged a conservation coalition seeking to purchase the land for the corridor.

This case exemplifies Mennonite business practices in Belize, leading to extensive deforestation. Although Belize, sandwiched between Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean Sea, resembles New Jersey in size, its jungle has shrunk significantly. The country has lost approximately 20% of its forest cover between 2001 and 2025, amounting to over 350,000 hectares.

Most of this deforestation can be attributed to Mennonites, a conservative Christian denomination that migrated to Belize over six decades ago, clearing the rainforest to establish new settlements. While reports linking Mennonites and deforestation are frequent, the intricate corporate structure they've developed for expansion remains less understood.

Mongabay undertook extensive interviews and examined numerous land records to gain a deeper insight into the role Mennonites have played in becoming one of Belize's most prolific land exploiters.