BNN Calls for Boiton Minerals to Stop Activity Pending Comprehensive Assessment

Osmany Salas

The Belize Network of N.G.O.s has issued a release expressing its concern about the direct threat to the headwaters of the Belize River and other negative economic impacts generated by Boiton Minerals Limited. The alarm was made by BNN member, Friends for Conservation and Development, which co-manages the Chiquibul Forest in which the mining activities are taking place. The BNN is calling for a comprehensive assessment as a visit back in June by the Ministries of Sustainable Development and Natural Resources revealed that there was some non-compliance on the part of BML.

Osmany Salas, Senator for N.G.O.s

“The assessment that was done to inform the government release goes back to June over eighty days ago. Operations, we understand, may still be ongoing so we are recommending a comprehensive assessment of the operations. And for that to happen that the operations of the company stop to give a chance for the comprehensive assessment to be done.”

Orlando Habet

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“Some permits were issued and I guess some were not obtained and that is where we have some problems. But also, in terms of the environmental compliance plan, there were some areas where they did not complied. So when the group met, they invited the principals of Boiton to meet with the group so that they can discuss what they were doing – show them what they were doing right, what they were doing wrong – and then come up with potential solutions to alleviate the problem if alleviation is what is needed or if it has to go further. They were supposed to be given a letter last Friday based on the first discussion as to what type of restoration activities they would have to do, remediation of certain areas and if there were going to be fines and we are still not privy to it as yet that would be put out to the company.”