APAMO says N.G.O.s are being pressured to sign co-management agreements

Edilberto Romero

Romero said that while Alamilla, when she was Executive Director at Ya’axche Conservation Trust, would not sign the agreement with the changes made by Cabinet, she is now pushing the co-managers to accept it. Last week, the Minister said that Rancho Dolores Environmental and Development Group had agreed to sign but today, their Chairman, Raymond Reneau, explained why he has issues with the agreement.  Also seated at the head table of the press conference was the Chairman of Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, who said his group is not signing an agreement which “does not go both ways.” APAMO’s chairman told the media that he believed some members felt pressured to sign the co-management agreements.

Edilberto Romero, Chairman, APAMO

“The reason TIDE had had problems is because the G.O.B. was not providing the necessary approvals for those funds to come down. While other countries—Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico—were able to get down those funds from Marine Conservation, in Belize, TIDE was not able to get that because approvals from the government of Belize were not given for that. So TIDE had been under serious pressure and they’ve been looking forward for that fund. If I am not wrong that took over two years for that fund to come down. So in a way, TIDE was first to sign the co-management agreement and those are the only two members of APAMO that have signed the co-management agreement. The Minister said Rancho Dolores had signed; we have the representative from Rancho Dolores [and] they have not signed.”

Raymond Reneau

Raymond Reneau, Chairman, Rancho Dolores Environmental Dev. Company

“The reason I didn’t sign the co-management agreement is because of the third party. Under licensing, it says after consultation with the co-managers, it says the government, which is the regulatory agency body, can give license to a third party. It didn’t say for what purposes. But with the protected areas, Spanish Creek Wildlife Sanctuary is not only a wildlife sanctuary; it is also a part of the watershed for the Belize River Valley area. And actually the whole of Belize City gets water from below that watershed. So if something should go wrong in that area, who will know what will happen to our streams and also to the spawning areas of the local fishes. So that is my main concern; the third party agreement.”

Marcial Alamina

Marcial Alamina, Chairman, Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary

“We are in solidarity with the membership of APAMO; that doesn’t want to sign and have not signed. And I don’t believe that anybody can pressure us to sign anything that is not…goes both ways. We would sign the agreement if it was more enlightened; they could take that how they want.”