Fierce opposition of Yum Balisi development in World Heritage Site
Earlier today the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) met to discuss an Environmental Impact Assessment plan that could result in the development of a resort on an island within the protected area of the Belize Barrier Reef. The Yum Balisi resort would house at least one hundred and ten persons and create up to eight thousand gallons of waste water in addition to releasing dangerous dioxins from an incinerator. It was all set to be developed on Cat Caye which is in the Pelican Range, a part of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve. Most members of NEAC have been silent but it is known that the project received fierce opposition from environmentalists. Copy of a correspondence from a representative of the Belize Tourism Industry Association says, “The fact that part of the property was already illegally cleared of mangroves and illegally dredge filled does not now or ever, justify development of this or any other similar property.” Because the developer has not yet been informed of the outcome, the results of the meeting are not being released and the Department of Environment is preparing a report. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is carefully awaiting the results of the meeting because it was the initial dredging and clearing in the Pelican range that ultimately lead to the Barrier Reef being added on the list of World Heritages in Danger.
They are probably building the resort already, so even if the dept. of Environment’s report say no further developement, the owners will claim that they may as well finish the job, now the damage is done. Of course this will mean loads of court actions, and of course, the Barrow mafia will be representing both sides!!!!! My money is on the resort being built though, as way too much money has been passed under the table already….
Next will be a 100 million US$ Cruise Ship docking facility, withonly 350+ seating Tenders (Foreign Owned and run with tax-free concessions) allowed to run passengers to shore in Placencia, totally destroying the Pelican Range and surrounding areas, but the permission will be given by the government “In the interest of Belize”.
Oh, and it will never be finished or used, just like the one at the Port of Belize, and Belizeans will suffer, as the UN will remove the whole barrier reef from their lists, and tourists will go elsewhere, especially when the protected forests are cleared to drill for oil! Only a few will benefit, and they will have fled the country even before the results of the next so-called General Election (Fix) are announced, to their bolt-holes in Miami, Cayman Isles etc. and their bulging offshore accounts……….
Let them build it! It’ll be a flop. We’ll make sure of that with all the negative publicity.
Make the space A PUBLIC PARK…………..FOR WE THE PEOPLE.
These people who decided to bulid a resort adjacent to a major reef are full of ignorance. All they want is for people to come to their resort so they can make money and wreck a beautiful place. Even though there are already 500 or so resorts in Belize already, they still pursue this dumb fantasy.
This resort when completed will have a huge impact on the life that resides in the reef. All those toxions and dioxins will harm the environment and the animals. Us people are responsible to care for our environment. How are we supposed to do that when these crooked people continue to wreck our environment!?