Reef experts testify at Westerhaven trial
The case of the Westerhaven continued in Supreme Court today. The ship ran aground on the reef near Caye Glory on January thirteenth. The defense team is invoking a 1976 charter which would limit the claim to four million Belize dollars. The environmental impact, however, was estimated to be in the range of thirty two million Belize dollars. Two Habitat Equivalency Analysis (H.E.A.) experts were flown in from Florida to testify on the behalf of the government and solidify that claim. Walter Jaap, who studied coral reef ecology and conducted the H.E.A., outlined that the area of compensatory damage was one hundred thousand one hundred and ninety-one square meters. He used H.E.A. methods and the relating computer software to compute his findings. But the attorney for the Westerhaven, Michael Young, questioned whether or not a method of assessment designed for the U.S. should be used for Belize.
Jose Sanchez
“Mr. Jaap will you share a few words with us please?”
Walter, Jaap, Habitat Equivalency Analysis expert
“They asked me not to discuss anything right now. I’m sorry.”
Michael Young, Attorney for Owners of the Westerhaven
“The challenge was whether that particular method of assessment is based on statutory requirements of the United States. It is something that I would comment on in my address to the court at a later stage. I don’t really want to say more than that.”
Jose Sanchez
“If the H.E.A. is not universal, does that mean it is something that shouldn’t or couldn’t be used for Belize?”
Michael Young
“Again we are dealing with areas where I simply needed to or wish to bring to the attention to the court that the H.E.A. or the assessment in this case really came out of the United States and questions arise as to well you know ‘Is that to be applied in Belize?’ That is really the fundamental issue that is being addressed there.”
In the testimony given by Jaap, he indicated that no coral formations within the core damage area was salvageable. The area was essentially flattened.
