Trekforce builds ecotourism center in Toledo
Paynes Creek National Park in the Toledo District is home to a wide variety of species ranging from the bothersome botlass fly to the mellow manatee. But for the past five weeks, the park has been home to thirty-nine volunteers from Belize and Britain. With funds from the small grants scheme of the British High Commission, they are there to build a center for ecotourism activities. News Five was invited down south for a look at the work.
Rob Murray John, Trekforce Country Manager
“What it’s doing is providing a facility whereby the local fishermen and local people can use to generate ecotourist incomes, sustainable forms of income here.
It’s not a question of saying, right, stop hunting in the area. It’s offering alternative sources of income that benefits the local community. That’s where poverty alleviation comes in because you are offering an alternative source of income for a greater amount of people.”
And while it may look like it’s in the middle of nowhere, the site for the visitor center was selected for very specific reasons.
Nick Bougas, Trekforce Expedition Leader
“This site was chosen because it’s got easy access. It’s based on the western boundary of the Paynes Creek National Park so it’s very easy to mount expeditions and patrols and everything else into the Paynes Creek National Park from here. It’s also got room for expansion if they want to increase the site’s size for you know, more people to come, school trips or biologists — anyone studying the area, ecotourists, catch and release flyfishermen and all the rest of it. It’s also very close to the Ycaola Lagoon area, lots of big lakes. So it’s very easy for TIDE to monitor, do their coastal monitoring as well.”
Will Maheia of the Toledo Institute for Development and the Environment says Paynes Creek National Park has been under utilized for far too long and it’s time for the people of Toledo to take advantage of the opportunities the center will offer.
Will Maheia, TIDE
“This has traditionally been a district that had been depressed because of the lack of opportunities for jobs. I think there are many people in the Toledo District who want to make the change, who want to get trained into environmentally friendly jobs and this is the perfect opportunity and time to do it.”
But the project partners say they are being realistic. They realize that fishermen will continue to fish but hope that in the off-season, they will turn to tourism for money.
Rob Murray John
“It’s always a challenge for a local NGO, a TIDE for the Forestry Department and myself as manager for Trekforce to empower people to see the opportunities within a building of this kind. And it’s very much up to all those people, all those project partners to get together as one voice to tell the community that this is available and also this is how it’s being used. The response has been good but the potential is for far greater.”
One of the fishermen taking advantage of the program is Matthew Nicholas or “Tamba.” Nicholas has been a fisherman for the past 25 years and has seen the effects illegal fishing practices have had on the fish population. He is working with TIDE to educate others about the value of being involved with environmentally friendly initiatives.
Matthew “Tamba” Nicholas, Fisherman
“A fish alive cost more than a dead one. Because when the white man come here, I make four hundred dollars then he wants to throw back the fish in the water. Another one will come here and catch the same fish, maybe not the same one but you know, then the fish would still circulate. But if you catch it and throw it in your boat, you make maybe twenty dollars, that twenty dollars dead because you will not catch that fish again.”
The Belizean and British volunteers are pleased to know that their project will continue to bring about environmental awareness. But getting where they are today has not been easy. They are not construction workers and they had never experienced the Belizean wet season.
Amy Jevons, Trekforce Volunteer
“Not the best. It’s been a bit of a swamp sometimes and there’s been loads of mossies and bity stingy things around but you got used to it really. It’s not too bad. The food’s not the best but.”
Max Ringham, Trekforce Volunteer
“It rains a lot here, obviously. We’ve been rained out a few times and the whole camp been destroyed but okay, surviving.”
Janelle Chanona
“And while the volunteers here have to deal with a high population of biting insects, there are a couple of species that everybody wants a bite from.”
Will Maheia
“If you bring a guy to fish and he catches a tarpon, your tip could be as much as two or three hundred dollars U.S. One of our guys got a $1,500 rod, $1,500 US fly rod for a tip because the guy had such a great time fishing in this area.”
Janelle Chanona
“And because I wanted to find out what a great time flyfishing could be, I decided to try it out. (tries to flyfish) Well, I didn’t catch anything but I did find something was more my speed. From Paynes Creek National Park, I’m Janelle Chanona for News Five.”
The visitor center, which cost BZ$25,000, will be maintained by two wardens. It was officially opened by British High Commissioner Tim David yesterday. Cooking and bathroom facilities as well as safe camping sites are available. For information contact TIDE in Toledo or e-mail them at Belizetour.com/tide.
