More land titles issued within reserves

On Friday we reported that government had reversed approval of surveys given for three parcels of land in the Swallow Caye Sanctuary just off Belize. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, there was not due diligence in the internal checks when the surveys were approved. But tonight there are fresh reports about part of another reserve that has ended up in private hands. News Five has copies of two titles which show that portions of a natural reserve in the south have been sold off. The areas are in the Blue Ground Range, which falls within the South Water Caye Marine Reserve in the Stann Creek District. The titles show that two point four two acres were sold to Keran Estephan of Hopkins Village for fifteen thousand seven hundred and thirty dollars. The document carries the signature of the Minister of Natural Resources, Gaspar Vega and Carlos Jimenez, who signed off on the titles on November twenty-seventh 2008.

The second title is given to Emily Sarmiento of Hope Creek Village. These two point one two acres of land is also within the Blue Ground Range. Sarmiento paid thirteen thousand seven hundred and eighty dollars and her documents, signed by the same parties as in the first case, were made official a few days later on December third. Before the South Water Caye area was declared a reserve in 1996, a number of persons were granted legitimate titles within the area. But since then no new titles should have been issued. According to reports, the Fisheries Department has on several occasions expressed concern to the ministry that titles had been given out to individuals since the area was declared a reserve. We wonder if the Ministry of Natural Resources did any internal checks in this case.