The Ya’axche Conservation Trust, an organization launched in 1998 to protect the Bladen Nature Reserve in Stann Creek and Toledo Districts, has been recognized internationally through a prestigious award bestowed upon its executive director. The Marsh Awards which is endorsed by the Zoological Society of London honors unsung heroes who aim to improve the world […]
Hurricane Richard did not only affect human life when it tore through the mid portion of the country on October twenty-fourth. At the Belize Zoo, most of the enclosures for the animals were destroyed and the facility has had to close to the public. But works to clear away the debris and renovate the zoo […]
Coral reefs are in danger; that is the weighty message coming out of a reef summit which is ongoing in Belize City. In fact according to the 2010 report card of the Mesoamerican Reef, released today, an alarming percentage of the reef is not in good shape. The summit precedes the 2010 United Nations Climate […]
The culture of herbal medicine and midwifery is still practiced primarily at rural communities. There is one traditional healer who made her mark in Belize and beyond our borders in her sixty-nine years of practicing traditional medicine. Tonight her family and all those she helped along the way, are grieving her death. Hortense Robinson was […]
A proposal to introduce cruise tourism in the south should have been a done deal instead it has been stopped in its tracks. In Placencia, residents are dead set against it because they feel that this brand of tourism will destroy the natural beauty of the peninsula and that far outweighs any benefits to the […]
Bruce Cullerton was mauled to death by Max the Jaguar, on Monday night. It is a stunning and rare event and also a tragic one. Cullerton was the neighbor of Richard and Carol Foster, two outstanding film makers for the National Geographic Channel. Cullerton was an established roving mechanic and his remains will be cremated […]
It is not one of the most fascinating subjects, but it is an all important topic. Eighteen students today received full scholarships for training on the relationship between the environment and refrigeration. The scholarships are being provided by the Department of the Environment and the technicians will be sensitized about the use of organic compounds […]
The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) has written a very distressing letter to the Ministry of Natural Resources regarding what can only be seen as alleged misuse of the Protected Areas Trust Fund (PACT). APAMO’s Chairman, Edilberto Romero, complains that instead of being used to finance and preserve protected areas, PACT funds are […]
Over a million dollars have been disbursed for environmental projects by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust in the past nine months. Earlier today another quarter of a million dollars were distributed to four agencies. The bulk of the money went to an anti-crime initiative, Restore Belize while the other environmental organizations got the remaining funds. […]
The saying goes “When fish come from riva battam an tell yoh halligetter gat bellyache you mus believe ah”. But are residents in the west taking heed? After reviewing data over the last two years, the Ministry of Health and the Belize Electric Company, BECOL, have concluded that Bay Snook fish found in the Macal […]
This story is strictly for the birds. The Belize Audubon Society is celebrating October as the month of birds. Migratory birds from Central and South America are flying south this time of year. It’s an opportunity for bird watchers throughout the country. According to Belize Audubon Society’s Publicity Coordinator, it’s time to pull out your […]
While Tropical Depression Matthew brought with it little to no damages as it made landfall in Belize over the weekend, it did wreak havoc off the coast. The Belize Audubon Society has confirmed that a lighthouse, one of the oldest in the country located on Halfmoon Caye near the Turneffe Atoll, was toppled by gale […]
The grisly murders of thirty-five year old Carmita Rivas, her fourteen year old son Carlos Wagner and her common-law-husband sixty-five year old Pantaleon Navarro, has the small northern community of Carmelita in a complete state of shock. Rivas and Navarro both lived with their eight children on a remote farm several miles off the northern […]
OCEANA has hired the vessel, Latitude, for a three month period to take scientists along the areas of the gulf coast affected by the Deep Horizon oil spill. So far hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent in clean-up efforts, and reports from British Petroleum say that most of the oil has dissolved. The […]
The Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage was created in June. Since its formation, it has acquired membership from the Belize Tourism Industry Association, San Pedro’s Mayor Elsa Paz, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organization, OCEANA and COLA amongst others. The fast growing group which is calling for the government to ban offshore oil […]
The fourth annual Natural Resources Management Research Symposium started today at the University of Belize Belmopan campus. Topics up for discussion in the two-day forum include deforestation, marine and terrestrial wildlife as well as the highly controversial issue of oil exploration. Organizations involved in protected areas management are swapping notes on recent research and projects—information […]
It’s that time of the week where families, friends and everyone around the country are looking for entertainment for the weekend. Safiyyah has scoured the internet, checked with all her sources, and kept her ear to the ground all in order to find the right variety to suit your palate. Whether you’re looking for a […]
Oceana Belize is known for its opposition to offshore drilling in Belize. Its Vice President, Audrey Matura Shepherd, has joined a voyage that is tracking the British Petroleum oil spill throughout the gulf. The Oceana team is aboard the vessel called the Latitude. Matura Shepherd spoke to News Five via phone with an update on […]
Oceana is one of the organizations in the forefront of the public debate against offshore oil drilling and it is taking a proactive approach in the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Oceana is taking a team on a tour of the spill while conducting research on the damage it has caused […]
The Forest Department announced last week that environmental groups that co-manage national parks and archaeological sites may soon get the ink on the dotted line of these agreements. But Chief Forest Officer Wilbur Sabido also pointed out that a bidding process along with the expertise of those non- governmental organizations will play a role in […]
The Association of Protected Management Areas APAMO is the umbrella institution for most non-governmental organizations that help to protect and preserve fragile ecosystems on land and sea. Two of its most vocal members include the Belize Audubon Society which manages the Blue Hole National Park, Guanacaste National Park and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and […]
Jaguar study was put on the map by Alan Rabinowitz, the author of a well known memoir called Jaguar which focuses on his experiences of the jaguars in Belize. Rabinowitz was instrumental in having the Cockscomb Basin declared a National Forest Reserve. Four years ago, he started an NGO called Panthera, which entered into an […]
The Westerhaven, the Great Escape and the Azteca were three notable vessels that ran aground on Belize’s barrier reef recently. But five years ago, another yacht, Summerwind, also damaged the reach but its owner is now claiming that his vessel never ran aground on Belize’s reef, despite irrefutable evidence. United States Billionaire Jeff Greene’s three […]
Manatees, also known as sea cows, are some of the most docile sea creatures. In fact their diet consists mainly of plant species but unfortunately, the manatee is under threat. A Vista Del Mar resident contacted the Coastal Zone Management Institute and Authority to inform them about a baby manatee that was hit by a […]
It’s another busy summer weekend as the Old Capital once again comes to life with activities for the entire family. Entertainment host Safiyyah has a rundown of everything that’s happening from the film festival to the first fried chicken champ. Hey I’m Safiyyah and this is what’s happening Belize. Tonight marks the opening night of […]
