Dep. of Environment gives go ahead to David Gegg’s Sea Trek

They say that progress brings problems and tonight a new project in San Pedro Town is in the eye of the storm.  There are numerous environmental woes which the residents and environmentalists are outraged about in the new underwater project in the Mexico Rocks area.  It is proposed by developer, David Gegg, and is known as the Sea Trek. What has raised the ire of the community is that the project is being developed near the barrier reef and would allow visitors to walk on the seafloor while attached by a rope to a barge above.  News Five’s Marion Ali found out that an Environmental Compliance Plan was signed by Chief Environmental Officer, Martin Alegria with Gegg.

Marion Ali

“This is the area known as Mexico Rocks.  Located six miles north of San Pedro Town, it is popular for its abundance in brain coral and juvenile fish.  It is also the site of a controversial tourism project, one that has environmentalists from the island up in arms.”

Dr. Ken Mattes, Marine Biologist, San Pedro

Dr. Ken Mattes

The problem that I have with it is that I believe it is based on just using negative buoyancy.  Normally when you scuba dive you wanna maintain neutral buoyancy, so you’re similar to a fish.  You hang above the bottom and you don’t touch the bottom and you don’t do any damage.  This system I believe, depends on negative buoyancy, you wanna be overweighted so it can push you against the bottom and then you walk around.  You don’t want to make contact with the bottom.  You’re gonna do damage.  You’re gonna be stepping on corals, stepping on all kinds of marine life, stirring up the sediment on the bottom.  It causes a condition called sediment loading, it causes the sediment to come up into the water column and then drop back down on top of the coral.  Most corals have the ability to clean themselves off from the sand, but it stresses them and causes them to use energy that they wouldn’t need to use otherwise.  So it’s a similar type of thing to dredging, in fact, where dredging stirs the bottom up.  Well a bunch of people walking around on a sandy bottom, that’s going to stir the bottom up in a similar way to how the dredging does, not as severe of course, but nonetheless, this is not a positive thing for the environment.

Marion Ali

“But divers who go to the bottom and for whatever reason, they do, they touch the bottom eventually, is that different what this project…”

Dr. Ken Mattes

“No, no, some divers do, especially when you’re doing dive training for example.  When people are doing dive training they may stop at a location and everyone kneel on the bottom and go through a couple of routines that they need to practice in order to get their certification, but that’s for getting certified and that’s not something that’s happening not something that’s happening on a regular basis.”

Einer Gomez, Concerned resident

“It would be interesting to see what studies have been done.  What I see on the document that has been signed is that – first of all there needs to be public consultation.  We have a hundred and seventy four miles of reef in this country, maybe more.  Why pick an area that is thriving in real estate, in building hotel rooms.  If  you had bought a property or are building a hotel right across, would you want to have a house in the water every day from eight in the morning ‘til five in the evening?”

elito arceo

Elito Arceo, President, Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Dev.

“This is a beautiful area and that’s why so many people come to visit Mexico Rocks.  It’s such a unique place and you’re looking at it.  And it’s nice that all the Belizeans can look at it and actually enjoy it.  We want people to come out and see exactly what we’re talking about so that me, you and everybody and future generations of Belizeans can come and enjoy nature in its purest form.”

Marion Ali

“And your group feels as if though this project will endanger the possibility of future generations to enjoy it?”

Elito Arceo

“Of course, we have serious concerns because you’re putting something that’s foreign in this particular area, any kind of barge that move back and forth.  Boats do come yeah, but they do like an hour, hour and a half and they leave.  But if you come and stay here the whole day and God knows how much human activity will go back and forth, of course that will be a cause for concern.”

Miguel Alamilla, Mgr., Hol Chan Marine Reserve

miguel alamilla

“We work hand in hand with the tour guides and the tour operators on the island and they are part of our management group in Hol Chan and if they have a concern then there is a concern that we need to look into.”

Marion Ali

“What would be the concern and have there been any kind of studies done in the area by any environmental group?”

Miguel Alamilla

“Well, in terms of the activity I don’t think there has been any in depth study done in the area.  There has been other work done by other – not related to what is happening there.”

Marion Ali

“What are the concerns?”

Miguel Alamilla

“The concern is the activity that is being done.  I understand that Sea Trek is a type of recreational activity that tourists who are not scuba divers can use a helmet structured to walk under water.  One of the concerns is that there will be a barge out there and sewer, they don’t really know what they will be doing with their sewer and so on.  We need to have everybody on board in order to be able to conduct one of these projects and that’s what apparently is not happening.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

And because an integrated approach is key in giving a project like sea trek the green light, Area Representative and Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia, says that even though an Environmental Compliance Plan has already been signed with the Department of Environment, he will not support the project.

Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism/ San Pedro Area Rep.

manuel heredia

“If it does not have the support of the local authorities then I am no part of that project.  That is my position on this one, cause it was said in the beginning openly, go to the Town Board, go to the Tour Guides’ Association.  And the last time I asked him again if he had gotten in touch with tour guides, he said it’s a waste of time.  So to me, I thought that he would persuade with the other pertinent authorities because everything has different processes.  Like I said, the environmental clearance is just the beginning of your process.”

Marion Ali

“Okay, so you’re saying that if the local authorities do not support this project, you will not support it as the Area Representative and the Minister of Tourism?”

Manuel Heredia

“Definitely.  That is the way I’ve always operated.  I’ve always based my opinions on the consensus of the electorate over here on the island, and then if the majority is on board with that then that is where I’m moving.  If the majority is against then I have to ride with my people.”

Marion Ali for News Five.