Crooked Tree Sanctuary gains int’l recognition
To find the best birds, birdwatchers have to get out in the field early. And that’s just what News Five’s Janelle Chanona and George Tillett did to chronicle the early morning ceremonies at a well known national attraction.
Since it was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1984, the area around Crooked Tree village has been a birdwatcher’s bonanza. Today, the sanctuary gained international recognition as it was inaugurated as the country’s first Ramsar site. The Ramsar convention has been signed by over 118 countries to encourage sustainable but environmentally beneficial development of the world’s wetlands.
Valdemar Andrade, Advocacy Coordinator, BAS
“This is what Belizeans must realize, that what we have here is very special. I mean, a lot of people would love to have this in their backyard and a lot of people in the international arena recognize this immediately and that’s why we are afforded these types of recognition such as the Ramsar convention.”
Janelle Chanona
But no ecosystem can exist without the human species. The success of sustainable development within the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary will depend largely on the cooperation of the nearby communities.
Today, the lagoon that borders the village looked more like a dust bowl than it did a wetland and what’s more, fishermen sweeping the lake with long nets again and again didn’t look too environmentally friendly. According to some of the villagers, over-fishing becomes a real problem in the dry season when hungry bellies from as far away as Orange Walk come to these waters to find food. Now that Crooked Tree has Ramsar attached to its name, not only will it attract more tourists, it will also give the sanctuary access to funding to develop initiatives, like the co-management of natural resources. Advocacy Coordinator for the Belize Audubon Society, Valdemar Andrade, says that big word will mean more than small change for villagers.
Valdemar Andrade
“In co-management, one of the main aspects is to create income generation…alternative income generation sources for the people because they need to see that they are benefiting from having these areas around them. Without them benefiting–and that means monetary value–things that put bread on the table value. Without them seeing that kind of value, they do not really appreciate all the other aspects, the intangible aspects that they receive from having protected areas around them like clean air, clean water…but they need to see some monetary value.”
With that in mind, today, the Wetlands Working Group was also inaugurated. Chairperson Maggie Perez says the group has already held workshops with the surrounding villages and response has been good.
Maggie Perez, Chairperson, Wetlands Working Group
“We have workshops as a matter of fact we’ve had about three or four workshops already and we have different communities and people taking part. From each of them, we have officers drawn up.”
Janelle Chanona
“How has the response been?”
Maggie Perez
“Very good so far, very good and these people are interest in other projects that will develop their village apart from doing the fishing and the hunting, they have projects like pig rearing, chicken rearing, gibnut rearing and even open fisheries, fish ponds to raise their own fish. That is one of the important things we’re looking at.”
Valdemar Andrade
“The communities are very important because they are the ones who know the resources and that use the resources and utilize the resources. And as you can see, the resources are in good shape and they have been utilizing it so we know that they can be good caretakers of the resources.”
One man says he’s already seen villagers make a conscious decision to protect the wildlife, all the while sticking to tradition.
Alvin Crawford, Tour Guide
“They’re still living off the land and that kind of thing. But they go back in Black Burn, a nearby place, to do farming so they don’t do no slash and burn in the village so we keep all the wetland area for habitat of the birds and them and so on.”
The villagers of Crooked Tree hope that by the time the rains come in June, several of the alternative cash crop projects will already be in full swing. They say their active support of the new ideas will mean keeping old familiars around for their children to enjoy.
Janelle Chanona for News Five.
The Belize Audubon Society says other protected areas like the Burdon Canal Nature Reserve and the Temash Sarstoon National Park are also being looked at as possible Ramsar sites.
