Symposium for the environment later this week

National Resource Management, Development and the Environment, Population Growth and Local Perspectives on Environmental Issues are among the topics at the third annual Symposium on the State of the Belize Environment later this week. The two-day event on Thursday and Friday will include presentations by experts from government departments and non-governmental organizations as well as the private sector. A panel discussion to encourage public participation is scheduled for Friday. The forum is designed to raise awareness of the most pressing environmental issues as well as allow for an exchange of ideas and information. The first environmental symposia was in 1993 and the second in 1995. It takes place at the Belize Biltmore Plaza and is sponsored by the Department of the Environment, the Belize Audubon Society and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, PACT.