The pillaging of our protected national parks by Guatemalan nationals was brought to the forefront recently because of the magnitude of the damage caused by the border incursions. On July twenty-third, the Ya’axche Conservation Trust attempted to carry out a five day patrol inside the Columbia River Forest Reserve and Bladen Nature Reserve, in southern […]
In a related story, it has now been confirmed that about three hundred Guatemalans have been illegally panning for gold which they sell way below market value. The Friends for Conservation and Development, which co-manages the Chiquibul National Park, says that while they are doing their part, particularly with the joint forces unit, they believe […]
Two weeks ago, the Belize Wildlife Conservation Network (BWCN) was alerted that a black jaguar was in distress at the Ballum Na Resort in Punta Gorda. The jaguar was frail and deteriorating. A second jaguar on the property had recently starved to death, so BWCN partnered with the Forest Department and the Belize Zoo to […]
It has come to light that Guatemalan nationals have advanced deep inside the Chiquibul National Park, panning for gold. Boiton Minerals is the company that has a license to conduct mining of gold in the area of Ceibo Chico, which is located at the extreme southern flank of the forest. In that area, Friends for […]
The MV Paranga remains in Belizean waters tonight, but it is no longer grounded near English Caye. According to the Port Authority, they are still investigating to determine what caused the Jamaican registered cargo ship to run aground on Monday morning. It has been confirmed that when the tide rose on Monday night, the vessel […]
At this hour, a joint investigation is ongoing after a Jamaican registered cargo vessel, the MV Paranga, ran aground off the coast of Belize City this morning. The three hundred and thirty foot ship was transporting agricultural products to Kingston, Jamaica when between eight-forty-five and nine-fifteen a.m., it grounded in three meters of water southeast […]
The Association of Protected Areas Management Organization, APAMO, held its fifth annual general meeting on Friday where stakeholders discussed a range of issues pertaining to the environment, natural resources and sustainable development. Other important topics included the management of protected areas within the tourism framework. According to APAMO Chairman Edilberto Romero, the environment, namely Belize’s […]
Ten days ago, The Belize Agricultural Health Authority placed a national poultry alert following a major outbreak of a highly pathogenic avian influenza called H-7-N-3 in Jalisco, Mexico. The outbreak, which was detected on three Mexican farms, has now spread to over fifty farms. It has killed thousands of birds in that country. BAHA says […]
The Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute is working in partnership with the Natural Capital Project, an initiative of the World Wildlife Fund to discuss the important linkages between science and policy that will guide the decisions to be made by the Coastal Zone. A seminar was held with the representatives of the project and […]
The following feature may not carry any notes of Reality Youths, or the scratches of Cayo’s DJ competition, but for Oceana Belize, it is music to their ears. The gospel truth of Oceana’s environmental conservation has travelled across the planet and had gained them major fans in the Middle East. The ban on bottom trawling […]
We’ll seek out the B.N.T.U. to get its take on how they are affected by the budget. Another Ministry is seeing cuts but not the type you might expect. The Forestry Ministry is looking into a canal, forty to fifty feet wide and close to four miles long, that was dug through a protected biological […]
Stakeholders from various private sector industries that use chemicals converged at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza for the launch of Belize’s Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management. It is an initiative by the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development to develop a coherent, legal and institutional framework in Belize, for the sound management […]
Over the last ten to fifteen years, the increased presence of primarily illegal Guatemalans squatters, cutting timber and xate, coupled with poaching of the Scarlet Macaw, have called for increased law enforcement presence in the Chiquibul; particularly in the less accessible southern areas. Well, today the Ceibo Chico Conservation Post and the South Chiquibul Joint […]
For years, the Belize Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (BELPO) has been against the operation of the Chalillo Dam in the Mountain Pine Ridge area of Cayo. Their concerns include the question of how long the dam will hold security measures and the health risks associated with the release of sedimentation into the Macal […]
According to Gonzalez, the sedimentation problem could have been avoided if due process was carried our during the environmental impact assessment. She says that in his forty years of experience, Dr. Lanza saw the worst case of sedimentation in Belize when there was a severe build-up in 2009. Via Phone: Candy Gonzalez, President, Board […]
Green Tropics, a Spanish company, became known in earlier this month when its operations were put on hold for dredging at the Labouring Creek Jaguar Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary. The company has now agreed to pay an environmental fine of over one hundred thousand dollars to the Ministry of Environment for damages, but it’s not over […]
While the children have parents to look after their health, the same can’t be said for the fish in the Macal. The Ministry of Health, the Department of the Environment and Belize Electric Company (BECOL) have completed another round of mercury testing on fish from the Macal River. Fifteen different types of fish were tested […]
The Belize Caves Branch Cave is a must visit on a tourist’s to do list. The Nohoch Che’en Reserve has attracted tourists from around the world for cave tubing and exploring; and it is there that tourists also go for zip lining. And while annually thousands travel to Caves Branch, in recent times the experience […]
The country’s preeminent birdmen made a startling observation, startling at least for the birding community. While Rudy ‘Rudybird’ Burgos was registering his child at St. John’s Junior College, the avid birder spotted a Jabiru Stork on the compound. The Jabiru Stork has not been seen in Belize City. It is a prominent bird that was […]
The coastal areas of the country were inundated by inclement weather. In the south of the country, the Sittee River went above normal levels, while the Kendal crossing was under water. A section of the Southern Highway, which lacked culverts, was also washed away. The highway is being repaired and the Kendal is now passable. […]
In the Belize District, in the first week of June, days of nonstop rains caused flooding in several parts of the country including the River Valley, where farmers lost their crops and Belize Rural Central, where a Ladyville School had to cancel classes for two days. Well today, Our Lady of the Way R.C School […]
While the streets and highways are populated with SUV’s and pose a minimal risk for pedestrians, our coastal waters also hold dangers for one large mammal. Manatees face a distinct threat from mariners whose boats either injure or kill them in the areas that they live. That is why the Sea to Shore Alliance’s conservation […]
Belize became the first country in the world to completely ban bottom trawling, when a statutory instrument was signed into law in December 2010. It was a major step that has earned Belize a nomination for a Future Policy Award. Thirty-one policies from twenty-two countries are on the list of nominees for the prestigious award […]
Kate Walsh, the famous Doctor Addison Montgomery on the hit series, Grey’s Anatomy, was in Belize over the past weekend. But she wasn’t here on vacation, she was here as an Oceana activist. Walsh, whose visit was to raise awareness on Belize’s Barrier Reef and the fragile ecosystem, met with local journalists for a one […]
There has been outrage in the conservation community following the news that Green Tropics Limited had dredged a canal through the Laboring Creek Jaguar Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary. Well, there is now word from the company and it is in the form of an apology and explanation. It says that the company, “unreservedly apologizes to the […]
