And from the Canal to old tires and other breeding grounds for mosquitoes – Willoughby says they held a meeting on Wednesday with the Ministry of Health and they highlighted the importance of doing some much needed cleanup – they will start with tires that are at the entrance of the City on the George […]
Despite the presence of F.C.D. rangers, police and B.D.F., illegal incursions into the Chiquibul continue. Over the past three weeks, a total of thirteen Guatemalans have been detained well inside Belizean territory, particularly in the Ceibo Chico area, in the south of the Chiquibul. The most recent detention of four adults and a minor occurred […]
Gold panning has evolved into one of the two primary threats to the integrity of the Chiquibul. It’s a high level risk within the national park because of the ruggedness of the terrain and the distance to reach the southern part of the protected area where the illegal activity occurs. Manzanero told News Five that […]
The pristine sandy beaches of San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia and the inland destinations, such as the Cayo District, are known to attract visitors from all over the world. But there are other locations lesser known, that have the attributes to beckon those looking for niche tourism. This week, TIDE, invited the media for a […]
Gold panning within the depths of the Chiquibul Forest remains an illicit activity, one that is continuously being carried out by Guatemalan extractors who cross over into Belizean territory in search of the precious mineral. Earlier this week, a team of FCD rangers encountered a group of men sorting through sediments for gold nuggets in […]
Every so often there are news reports about manatees getting caught up in boat propellers, or swallowing garbage that chokes them, or having other kinds of distress that causes them to become stranded on land. What you may not know is that it happens more often than we think and there are hazards associated with […]
A recent fire in the Ladyville community has brought into sharp focus the ongoing issue of illegal dumpsites that have been popping up through the village on the Philip Goldson Highway. Residents from the village and elsewhere have indiscriminately been disposing of their garbage anywhere there is an empty spot. Aside from being an eyesore, […]
In early January, PASA Belize Limited shut down operations at the solid waste transfer stations and sanitary landfill. All operations within the central corridor—from San Ignacio/Santa Elena to San Pedro and Caye Caulker—came to a grinding halt. The very real hazard of accumulating garbage was quickly averted as Solid Waste Unit took up the charge […]
As we told you earlier, solid waste management is everyone’s business and there is need for enforcement of the law, specifically as it relates to violation of illegal dumping and littering across the country. While it will take an interdepartmental approach to solving this perennial problem, the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority is planning to […]
Norwegian researcher Marianne Karlsson today issued the results of her thesis project about adapting to climate change in two seaside fishing communities at either end of the country. A few years ago, working with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Karlsson spent time with the fishers of Sarteneja, Corozal District and Monkey River, Toledo District, […]
The Fisheries Department is tightening up on persons who violate fisheries regulations. A group of fishermen from Ranchito, Copper Bank and San Joaquin villages up north were taken to court this morning for possession of undersized conch found in their possession. Their arraignment lasted two hours and they all took a guilty plea before Magistrate […]
For one of the rare instances in Belizean legislative history, the ‘noes’ had it in the Senate with regard to the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (Amendment) Bill on its second reading. The amendment proposed to introduce a development fee to be collected from any border administered with support from PACT, and was one of the […]
Five organizations that manage the network of protected areas across the country are beneficiaries of a combined one million dollars plus in grants. The awards were disbursed on Monday by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Duane Moody, Reporting Annually, several protected areas managers are the beneficiaries of grant funding […]
In light of World Water Day celebrated across the globe today, staggering facts and data have been published that brings into sharp focus the shortage of access to potable water today and in the next couple years. The United Nations, since 1993, has marked March twenty second as World Water Day – it is a […]
Earlier this week the CZMAI launched its third Coastal Awareness Week and we showed you how they kicked off the activities with a trivia challenge for Belize City primary schoolers. Today, they took the awareness in a different direction; engaging the private sector in a forum with regional and local experts on how they can […]
Government is proposing to increase departure tax for visitors to Belize to forty US dollars from thirty-five. It intends to raise as much as eleven million dollars from this tax alone. The rise forms part of its plan to raise eighty million dollars in new tax revenue for the financial year beginning April first. But […]
Will Belizean cane sugar remain viable on the European market in 2018? A gradual shift to cheaper beet sugar produced within the European Union will force stakeholders in the local sugar industry to become more competitive with the quality and prices of cane sugar produced for export. Earlier today, an article published by Bloomberg Market […]
According to Alpuche, the effect of European producers boxing out the competition can be devastating to local farmers if they do not diversify their crops. Jose Alpuche, Minister of Agriculture “There was also an issue of diversification of the sector itself and into other byproducts, rum, and ethanol but although ethanol is not an […]
Investigations are ongoing in the case of a human skull found at a dump site over the weekend in the Orange Walk District. Police are providing only the minimal details on the discovery. The confirmation we have is that this past Saturday at about twelve twenty-five police were called to the dump site situated at […]
The purpose of the visit of the Secretary General of the O.A.S. was to push for an early referendum and to take the claim for resolution at the International Court of Justice. On this side of the border it is already known that a referendum will not be held until after a re-registration exercise in […]
The O.A.S. Secretary General, while in Belize City this morning, made a brief visit to Independence Hall where he called on Leader of the Opposition John Briceño. The discussion was described as hearty, touching on a range of national issues, including the People’s United Party’s position on the forthcoming redistricting and re-registration exercises. John […]
The first serious objection to the bundle of tax measures introduced by Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the government at Monday’s budget presentation was raised by the Belize Tourism Industry Association a day later. They and the Association for Protected Areas Management Organizations argue that the Protected Areas Conservation Trust needs the money to urgently […]
The huge expanse of the Chiquibul National Park has been under continuous threat for all sorts of illegal activities over the years. The protected area has an abundance of highly sought natural resources by persons from across the border. Tonight, the news is that the harvesting of xaté and the poaching of the scarlet macaw […]
Over the weekend, a first of its kind Chiquibul Challenge was put off by the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic, which rescues wildlife in the Chiquibul. Friends for Conservation and Development, the co-managers of the largest national park, worked hand in hand with the organization. The event is a fund raiser in support of the […]
World Wildlife Fund and local partners marked the start of Reef Week with a symbolic handing over of over two hundred and fifty thousand petitions to the office of the Prime Minister. All these petitions were gathered since April of last year through an online campaign that seeks to get the Belize Barrier Reef off […]
