Numerous organizations worldwide are preparing the celebration of Earth Day 2012; a day set aside to promote environmental awareness and small steps to a “greener” life. Earth Day is on April twenty-second, but on the twenty-first the Belize Audubon Society is planning its fourth annual Green Walk. It’s a cleanup campaign on the Western Highway […]
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, Lisel Alamilla, has been named a finalist for a prestigious conservation award from the Whitley Fund for Nature. Alamilla has been selected for her work with the Ya’axche Conservation Trust, which promotes the protection of the Maya Golden Landscape in southern Belize. As one of seven international finalists […]
In Thursday’s newscast we reported that Minister of Forestry Lisel Alamilla met with dealers and loggers in Boom Creek and Santa Teresa to discuss a way forward in the wake of a recent moratorium on rosewood extraction. Since the suspension on March sixteenth stakeholders have been up in arms over losses they have had to […]
In response to the argument that loggers were taken by surprise, Alamilla said that had they been informed of a moratorium prior to its implementation, there would have been unchecked extraction of the precious wood across Toledo. Isani Cayetano “Looking at the moratorium, it doesn’t have a deadline per se. Can you tell us […]
There is word from the south that a decision has been reached on the issue of the rosewood trade. It comes on the heels of a moratorium placed on March sixteenth by the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development. While conservation groups were applauding the decision, dealers and loggers claimed that government failed to […]
Local talent at its best; that’s what the KTV Latino contestants showcase every Tuesday night in the Bliss auditorium. And this week was no different as the five singers in Group A took the stage. The variety and quality of the performances impressed both the judges and the audience. But now it’s time to get […]
Since she took office only about two weeks ago, Lisel Alamilla had hit the ground running. Government confirmed this morning, that the portfolio responsibility of Indigenous People has been dropped from Minister Lisel Alamilla. When the responsibility was first announced on March thirteenth, the Maya Leaders Alliance (MLA) came out saying that there are eminently […]
Last Friday, the Ministry of Forest, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, which we note did not include Indigenous People, announced that a moratorium had been declared with immediate effect on the harvesting and exportation of rosewood. The decision to put the brakes on licenses was because a review of the Ministry’s inventory reportedly showed that more […]
Environmentalists and villagers of Mayan communities in southern Belize affected by the extraction of Rosewood can breathe easier tonight. The Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development has placed a moratorium on the harvesting and exportation of rosewood with immediate effect. The swift action by this new ministry in less than a week after its […]
Close to thirty thousand registered electors voted on the issue of offshore drilling on Wednesday. By any stretch, it’s a huge turnout for a relatively short campaign that led to the mock referendum organized by the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage. After fourteen hours of voting countrywide, the final results were tabulated by three […]
The People’s Referendum on off shore drilling is being held today countrywide. From all accounts voting has been steady all day and the organizers, the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage, say they are satisfied with the turnout. OCEANA, which is at the frontlines, collected twenty thousand signatures last year, eight thousand were rejected, thus […]
The offshore drilling question is split among political lines. Several ministers of the ruling United Democratic Party have publically stated that they want offshore drilling. On the other hand the People’s United Party has made it a manifesto issue that they don’t support offshore drilling. And though the party lines are drawn in oil, politicians’ […]
The Coalition had intended to have the referendum on the same day of the elections. That was rejected so it pulled off today’s event in a relatively short time. In the City, thousands came out to say No to offshore drilling. Voting started at six and continues at this hour. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. […]
There has been long standing friction between US Capital Energy and the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM). That’s because the oil company is conducting seismic testing and has plans to drill in the Sarstoon Temash National Park, which SATIIM co-manages. Well, over the weekend it went from friction to fire in the protected […]
Recycling efforts among primary school students are reaping big dividends. The go green program started a few years ago and has mushroomed into a campaign that has exceeded expectations at the Belize Elementary School where students are also learning the importance of conservation. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. Isani Cayetano, Reporting Friendly competition amongst the […]
In the week ahead, volunteers from across the country will be manning telephones to get the pulse of voters on a referendum on offshore oil exploration. Voting is already underway by phone and next Wednesday, voters can register their views at numerous booths that are being placed strategically in the districts. At the launch of […]
A week ago, the government announced that it will not be holding a referendum on oil exploration. Still, one of the driving forces of the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage has commissioned a poll to measure people’s perception on oil exploration and drilling in offshore and protected areas of the country. Oceana Belize along […]
Oceana Belize has taken the brunt of the Prime Minister’s sting over the lost referendum. However, Audrey Matura Shepherd says it will go forward with its own nonbinding Referendum on February twenty-ninth. When asked, the Oceana VP says that court action would come rather than a demonstration. Audrey Matura Shepherd, VP, Oceana Belize “We were […]
There’s more news on oil exploration; the government announced today that a concession for exploration blocks in the Corozal District has been awarded to Manti Exploration and Production Company Limited. It is headquartered in Texas and also has operations in Louisiana, Canada and the South Pacific. The company, which has twenty years in the oil […]
Climate change is a global issue that unfortunately affects developing nations more than the developed continents. Just one degree in temperature has serious economic implications for many nations including Belize. That is why stakeholders along with the Climate Change Center and the Ministry of Natural Resources gathered for the Belize Third National Communication to the […]
Twenty-three employees from Conejo Village in the south were fired by U.S Capital Energy last week. The problems started when the residents complained that a seismic testing line was running through the village. The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management believes that the firings were an act of spite because Capital Energy did not get […]
Valentine’s Day has just passed and though the day should be about love, it has become commercialized very much like Christmas. A News Five viewer contacted our newsroom about a love letter of sorts that he wanted to share that came from one of his relatives. But instead of words found in a romance novel, […]
The American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) has been under the lens of renowned U.K wildlife filmmaker, Simon Cowell, not the American Idol creator. Cowell, is a British television presenter who hosts the Animal Planet documentary series called Wildlife S.O.S. For a week now, the U.K. team has been working with ACES to highlight their work […]
There is a positive story to report tonight. Scientists at the University of Illinois, USA have discovered a new species of tiny, grasshopper-like insect in the Toledo district. The find was made public today by Doctor Sam Heads and Doctor Steve Taylor who co-authored a paper published today in the journal ZooKeys. The new species, […]
On Wednesday night, we told you that Ya’axche Conservation Trust is sitting out a Rosewood inventory exercise that will be carried out in Toledo by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The illegal extraction and exportation of rosewood has become a hot button issue in the south because while the exporters are making millions, the villagers […]
