It’s lobster season and while having one of the delectable crustaceans on your plate may be all you need to keep your belly full, the proper management of fishing grounds and fisheries is what really keeps all marine life available for local consumption and for export. With growing demands for seafood, the once open licensing […]
Mariners have often been asked to be aware while maneuvering their boats into harbor. The request is not only for the safety of boat passengers but also of sea life. Belize City’s harbor is a regular thoroughfare for manatees. Many manatee deaths this year have been attributed to careless mariners whose boat propellers hit the […]
Oceana Belize’s two day conference under the theme Too Precious to Drill: The Marine Biodiversity of Belize wrapped up today. Twenty scientists shared their cumulative knowledge from years of research conducted in the country. The event wrapped up with an awards night. The awardees included Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Rene Montero received the […]
OCEANA has been at the forefront of a campaign against offshore oil exploration and oil drilling and the impact on the fragile ecosystem. A team of well known scientists are back in Belize to review research by local and international experts on the impact of oil spills versus the economic gains to fishing and tourism. […]
Most school children are now choosing which of the numerous summer camps they will attend. One organization in particular has seven camps in which spaces are still available. The Belize Audubon Society’s annual summer camps cover the jungle and trails for kids and adults. In addition to photography, another annual summer hit is for bird […]
Herbs have traditionally been used for medicinal purposes; from minor to serious illnesses. Some of them are easy to grow and can be found in your own backyard. So if your garden has rosemary, mint or other plants, you might have a trove of natural medicine. Currently at the House of Culture, there is collection […]
The next news item is not about the power for your home, but more purchasing power for the seafood prepared in your kitchen. The price of fillet averages about ten dollars and up depending on the type of fish you buy. But students of business learn early on that the term Caveat Emptor means let […]
Summer is drawing closer and one yearly environmental staple has returned. Registration for the Belize Audubon Society’s annual summer camps for kids, teens and adults have begun. According to Audubon’s Publicity Coordinator, Dirk ‘the Birdman’ Francisco, participants have a choice of seven camps in which they can learn while exploring nature. Dirk Francisco, Publicity Coordinator, […]
In Wednesday’s newscast vice president of Oceana in Belize, Audrey Matura, lashed out at the prime minister for being disingenuous in respect of the seventeen thousand signatures collected to trigger a referendum on offshore oil exploration. Matura went as far as saying that having agreed to a referendum, it is now undemocratic for the P.M. […]
Across the globe, World Oceans Day was celebrated by highlighting the beauty and wonders of the marine universe. In the Jewel, the issue of a referendum on offshore oil drilling was at the heart of the celebrations. More than seventeen thousand signatures have been collected, but now OCEANA claims that government is not playing it […]
The hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea is just around the corner. The National Meteorological Service expects that Belize will see an active hurricane season between June first and November thirtieth, but this year won’t be as busy as last year. Still yet, Belizeans should be well prepared for any storm. […]
Where there is smoke there is fire. The City woke up to a dull haze this morning that drifted across the district. Residents choked from the odor and the smoke that is coming from forest fires that have been raging in western Belize for weeks. The heat and the pollution covering the district are unbearable […]
While it is expected that the smoke shrouding the district will clear up, there are health implications involved. Persons with allergies, asthmas and similar conditions are advised to avoid exposure to the smoke. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports. Jose Sanchez, Reporting The smoke from the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest fires has drifted from Cayo to […]
Still on the issue of conservation, LightHawk, a nonprofit group of volunteer pilots is looking for someone to bring a very special cargo to Belize. The organization is urgently seeking a volunteer to transport rare falcon chicks from a breeding facility in Sheridan Wyoming in early June. Once in Belize, the birds will be released […]
But there’s another film to be released on Thursday. The Belizean Audubon Society and Healthy Reefs Initiative have teamed up for a public screening of the “Someday is Now” video. The two organizations joined forces for the participatory video to highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy Coastal Zone and Ecosystem, which they say are […]
Thousands of acres of forests have been consumed by wild fires, and much more are at risk before the rains come pouring down. Hot weather conditions are the fuel to the fires that are erupting and spreading across the country. Close to thirty thousand acres of forest have been ravaged in Mountain Pine Ridge; a […]
On Tuesday we told you that the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage had engaged Rick Steiner, a renowned US oil expert, to assess the oil industry in Belize. Steiner, who says his assignment is pro bono, has concluded that oil and gas development is not compatible with protected areas. Well, a second expert, Richard […]
Our friends at BelCaribe won’t provide the usual weather report today, but according to the twenty-four hour forecast from the Belize Weather Bureau, there were cloudy spells this afternoon and we can expect partly cloudy skies tonight and on Thursday morning. The sunny weather continues on Thursday with cloudy periods throughout the day. A few […]
The Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage is involved on a nationwide campaign for a referendum on the question of oil drilling and exploration. It is still short of the seventeen thousand signatures required for the poll, but as the deadline approaches, it has solicited the help of two foreign technical experts to assess the […]
It’s a rare occurrence in Belize, especially since we’re in the hottest months of the year, but this afternoon residents in the Cayo District experienced a brief hailstorm. If you’re not too familiar with the term; that means it was raining clumps of ice, which are also known as hail stones, and they usually accompany […]
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It’s a scientific group that deals with the complex issue of climate change. Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the group on a voluntary basis. They are meeting at the […]
This Wednesday marks one year since two hundred million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill, which gushed into the Gulf from BP’s blown-out well, killed eleven men and injured several others. But today, Oceana says that a disaster like that or even on a smaller scale can be a […]
OCEANA and the Northern Fishermen Cooperative this morning sealed a deal for the purchase of two trawling vessels. The agreement follows a ban on all forms of trawling in Belize’s territorial waters. Aside from purchasing the trawlers, OCEANA will also be providing funding to the cooperative for small eco-friendly loans and disaster relief. One of […]
On Tuesday the government said it had awarded Maranco Ltd. a production sharing agreement, giving the green light for oil exploration in northwestern Orange Walk District which includes the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management area. The Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage, has reacted with disappointment to the award of the contract. According to […]
There is a tragic story about a manatee to report tonight. It follows several instances in which manatees have been hit by boat propellers. Some residents on the south side of the city found a manatee with a deep gash wound this morning. The manatee was pregnant but according to a local expert, it was […]
