Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico are responsible for maintaining the health of the Mesoamerican Reef. The reef is deteriorating and the countries have recently participated in ecological audit of the mechanisms in place to protect it. The results of that audit were released on February seventh. And earlier today the results were featured on MSNBC. […]
The illegal extraction of rosewood remains on the front burner. On the heels of reports that a highly connected company from the north was exporting the rosewood, on January twenty-fourth Cabinet decided that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will be conducting a stock survey and evaluation to verify the numbers of the remaining […]
A recent eco-audit commissioned by Healthy Reefs Initiative shows that the health of the Mesoamerican reef is failing and that at least seventy percent was in poor condition in the 2008 and 2010 report cards. The audit found that while there is progress, the condition of the reef is declining at a faster speed. The […]
There is trouble brewing in the South. U.S. Capital Energy is providing jobs in the small community of Conejo. Employment prospects are hard to come by but many villagers are upset because despite assurances, seismic testing is taking place on land that should be protected. Is it a mistake on the behalf of U.S. Capital? […]
Did you notice an unusual number of persons wearing black on a hot day like today? Well, it’s all a part of the Black Friday event organized by the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage. The fashion statement being made by those who participated is that they are against oil exploration; both offshore and […]
Seismic testing in protected areas in the south is in full swing despite strong objections from residents and non-government organizations, including the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management. Tonight there is some trouble brewing because U.S. Capital Energy Ltd., represented in Belize by businessman Alistair King, has been conducting geophysical explorations in the Toledo District […]
Another hot button issue in the south is over rosewood extraction. On Tuesday Cabinet finally took some measures in respect of the illegal harvesting of Rosewood for the export market. It has been reported that millions of dollars have been lost to the illegal extraction of rosewood taking place primarily within the Mayan communities in […]
With the costs for conventional medical treatment skyrocketing, many in rural communities are turning to traditional healing. Locally, the practice is rooted with the Mayans so NICH today gathered traditional healers from the Cayo, Toledo, and Belize Districts as part of activities of the Maya Calendar. News Five’s Delahnie Bain found that there is a […]
There have been enough controversial issues that have sparked heated public debate. And while the rampant extraction of rosewood in the Toledo District lost its spotlight to the immigration and S.S.B. scandals, it was brought back to the front burner today. In fact, rosewood was discussed in this morning’s Cabinet meeting following reports that contracts […]
Even before the Cabinet decision, Maheia contended that the poor Toledo residents who do the actual logging are being deprived of the benefits they could reap, if it was being done in a sustainable manner. He says the people of the south are constantly bullied because they accept the status quo and do not speak […]
A former trawling vessel, worth over four hundred thousand dollars, was today signed over to the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI) for just one dollar. The vessel is one of two that were bought over by OCEANA in February, 2011 after legislation was passed to ban trawling in Belize. OCEANA and government negotiated […]
Manatees are endangered globally and in Belize, mariners have posed a major threat to their survival. But biologists and manatee researchers have taken up the challenge to rescue the mammals in distress. While a few recent rescue missions have been unsuccessful, today a manatee calf was captured near Duke Marine on the Northern Highway. While […]
The rape of forests in Belize for Rosewood continues unabated. One strong environmentalist and proponent for the end of the trade is People’s National Party’s Wil Maheia. Maheia has been personally documenting illegal shipments in the south. He lives in Punta Gorda and recently travelled to Barranco Village in the Toledo District. Maheia found that […]
The Christmas weekend was busy not only for highway robbers but also those who prey on precious natural resources in protected areas as well as on crown land. The extraction of Rosewood continues unabated and despite numerous objections held by groups such as SATIIM and the Maya Leaders Alliance, poor villagers continue to cut down […]
The Chiquibul forest has turned out to be a lucrative source of income for Guatemalans, who, for over a decade have been carrying on illegal activities. Earlier this week we reported on the logging, xate harvesting and the poaching of the Scarlet Macaw. Tonight, we focus on the settlements established within Belizean territory by Guatemalan […]
A Belizean organization has received international recognition as well as twenty-five thousand U.S. dollars for its effort in wildlife conservation. Heska Corporation, a Switzerland based company which specializes in advanced veterinary diagnostic products, announced today that the Belize Wildlife & Referral Center (BWRC) received the most votes in its 2011 Inspiration in Action Contest. The […]
The Scarlet Macaw may arguably be the most magnificent bird of the parrot family. They live in higher elevations and riparian forests, where they form their habitat in tall deciduous trees and lay about two to three eggs for the year. Only a small population of the endangered species remains in Belize. In the Chiquibul, […]
The Chiquibul Forest in the west has come under sustained plunder. We’ve seen the images of the illegal logging taking place and tonight, we’ll look at the lucrative xate trade. Xate are leaves from three Chamaedorea palm species. The palms grow naturally, in abundance and are harvested in the forests of Belize, Mexico, and Guatemala. […]
The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) traditionally conducts annual Christmas bird counts. BAS has compiled three Christmas bird counts so far. The first being the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary Christmas bird count held on December fourteenth followed by the Belize City Christmas bird count on December eighteenth. The next bird count is slated for December twenty […]
Seismic testing within the Sarstoon Temash National Park remains ongoing despite strong objections from SATIIM and its umbrella organization, the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage. U.S. Capital Energy has also come under fire from other quarters to cease oil exploration within the protected area. Since Wednesday of this week, our emails have been overflowing […]
The Chiquibul Forest covers four hundred and thirty-seven thousand acres, which is about seven point seven percent of the entire landmass of Belize. This area encompasses the Chiquibul National Park, Chiquibul Forest Reserve and the Caracol Archaeological Reserve; all protected areas. The national park, however, has come under unrelenting plundering by organized, illegal loggers who […]
Turning to the referendum on offshore oil exploration; it has been given the official green light as the Office of the Governor General has informed Oceana in Belize that the secondary stage in a series of actions necessary to hold a vote on the issue has been completed. A little over eighteen thousand signatures were […]
After collecting eighteen thousands signatures in a nationwide campaign, the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage through OCEANA triggered a referendum on the question “Do you agree to oil exploration and drilling offshore and in its protected areas?” OCEANA is also requesting that the question be put to the people simultaneously with the March seventh […]
The government has said the referendum is not binding and that it is only one of two roadblocks in front of the coalition. There is dissent and one of its members has broken rank triggering an internal natural disaster that the organizers tried to clean up during the conference. The Ya’axche Conservation Trust, which manages […]
A sixteen year old volunteer has raised a hefty sum for the Belize Zoo. Yuvraj Duggal of Chicago went back to the US and became involved in a number of projects to raise both money and awareness of the jaguar rehabilitation program of the zoo. This afternoon he was honored for his initiative. News Five’s […]
