B.N.N. Concerned Over Community’s Response to Beach Erosion

Dr. Kay says the B.N.N. empathizes with the residents of Placencia, Seine Bight and Monkey River who channeled their efforts and resources to take physical action to the crisis. But, while the intent was admirable, the work proceeded without any of the legally required permits.

Dr. Elma Kay

Dr. Elma Kay, Secretary, B.N.N. Steering Committee

“In the Silk Cayes in particular, it’s the issue of global climate change which is causing sea level rise and all these erosion effects. Now for the cayes themselves, I am personally not aware of any major studies that would say this is what we need to do or this is how we have to tackle it. There has – in Belize we don’t invest as much as we should in some of these studies that are really necessarily. A lot of the N.G.O. partners and other people that work on the ground in areas that are experiencing this erosion,  they always have to get grants or have other people come and study those systems. So as far as I know, Marion, there isn’t a wide body of literature. I think it’s more the global literature that exists on what is happening and we are seeing those impacts here. The community decided to take some action. I think that type of action is admirable because in our country we don’t always see examples of us being so proactive and banding together as communities to do something, and I think what the press release is saying is that the community engagement portion of it or the fact that the community is so into it is extremely admirable, but we do have rules and laws here in Belize regarding protected areas and there is also scientific studies, even if they are not specific to Belize, specific places that we can draw on to inform our actions and so I think what B.N.N. is saying is when we have this type of action it must be within the legal bounds of how we must act.”