The Ministry of Natural Resources late this evening announced that it is not after all going to provide leases for three parcels of land issued on the northern end of Mapp Caye within the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary. According to the Ministry, it regrets quote “that these surveys were not caught initially by internal checks” […]
We reported on Wednesday that the Ministry of Natural Resources had given the green light for surveys in a reserve just off Belize City. According to documents available to News Five, the Ministry approved a survey of approximately fifteen acres of land in the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary in the names of Magistrate Sharon Fraser, […]
The Belize Barrier Reef System has been placed on the UNESCO Danger List. This follows an evaluation by UNESCO which found that the government appeared to be managing mangrove islands as unprotected national public lands and not as a part of the world heritage property. On June nineteenth, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of […]
When the reef was accepted as a world heritage site in 1996 there were sporadic commercial developments on cayes within the site. But thirteen years later the expansion and dredging continued and that is what UNESCO representatives found during their recent visit to Belize. The ground work and report was made by Marc Patry who […]
The earthquake that shook Belize on May twenty-eighth will not be forgotten anytime soon. It appears that there are areas other than Monkey River, Placencia and Independence villages which have been damaged by the seismic activity. The tremors, which measured seven point one on the Richter scale, did not spare sections of the barrier reef. […]
APAMO, the Association of Protected Management Organization, sounded its concerns to the government this past Tuesday about the UNESCO report which details the leases and commercial development within protected areas such as the barrier reef, a World Heritage Site. APAMO called on the government to reactivate the National Protected Areas Commission and to cancel leases […]
UNESCO’s report on the state of Belize’s Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site, has confirmed that there needs to be better protection, not only in writing, but in practice of the country’s natural resources. APAMO, The Association of Protected Areas Management Organization has written the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and is tasking […]
Turning to the issue on World Heritage sites, the director Francesco Bandarin has sent a letter to Belizean Ambassador, Bassam Freiha, informing him that the Belize Barrier Reef System be inscribed on the UNESCO danger list. The executive summary states that “there is apparently no difference in treatment of areas within and outside of the […]
A UNESCO team visited Belize in March to look at the state of the Barrier reef and the Pelican Caye range, which are considered a World Heritage Site. The team came to investigate dredging and cutting of mangroves inside the Pelican Caye range. The report is now complete and its findings are not good. It […]
We have reported on various recent marine disasters along Belize’s Barrier Reef and tonight there is another accident that occurred north of Ambergris Caye last weekend. A thirty-two foot vessel belonging to the Sueño del Mar resort ran aground in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, and there was some controversy surrounding the accident as it […]
Residents of the Port Loyola area are irate over uncollected garbage which has blocked the drain in their immediate area. The refuse in the drain on Central American Boulevard does not only include the usual paper and bottles, but car rims, bicycle wheels, television parts and even a refrigerator. Two of the residents in the […]
There is more controversy coming out of La Isla Bonita – and you guessed it, it’s over real estate again! This time the story is that Canadian developer, David Mitchell, has been granted permission by the Department of the Environment to develop marsh land in the vicinity of the San Pedro sewer system into a […]
The government granted permission back in 2006 to U.S. Capital Energy to conduct seismic testing in the Sarstoon Temash National Park and the operations are well underway. But that decision has come under constant opposition from the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, SATIIM. SATIIM’s co-management agreement over the park expired in 2008 and for […]
That was in Punta Gorda, but in Belize City this issue is garbage. This has dominated the news for some time, and mostly because of the lack of collection or the back and forth in Court with the disposal companies. And while residents want a resolution to this hot button issue, a new system now […]
One of the business owners who was concerned over the new garbage collection fees is the proprietor of Peppers Pizza, Stephen Roberts. News Five met him coming out of a meeting with Councillor Willoughby just prior to this morning’s briefing and he said he is satisfied with the proposal. Stephen Roberts, Owner, Peppers Pizza “When […]
The fire at Belize City’s garbage dump site is extinguished. Last week Friday, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) promised the fire would be out by today, Tuesday. Well NEMO kept its promise and this afternoon, it handed over control of Belize City’s dumpsite back to the council. Melvin Hulse, Minister of NEMO, explained to […]
The city council might have another fire to put out, but this time it won’t be at the dumpsite. The flames may come from businessmen who have been dodging garbage collection fees by dumping their waste at other locations. Meanwhile, the council has a new set of charges it plans to implement across the board. […]
“One School, One Tree, One step at a time” is the theme and call to action that resonated worldwide today marking the observance of International Day for Biodiversity. Compliant activities started in the Far East and travelled west around the world as students from each country planted trees at exactly ten o’clock—their local time—creating a […]
We reported on Wednesday, that another vessel had damaged the reef. News Five has now confirmed that in fact, two foreign vessels sailing around San Pedro Ambergris Caye were moored for several days near delicate patches of the reef. This prompted the Chairman of the San Pedro Tour Guide Association, Billy Leslie, to investigate. He […]
There are confirmed reports that a vessel ran aground on the reef on Tuesday. It is a Catamaran, which was sailing off the coast of Ambergris Caye. Earlier today, the vessel was removed from the corals and a team comprising of officials of various government departments was dispatched to the scene to assess the damage. […]
The second fire at the city dump site continues to emanate toxic smoke which, depending on the wind, spreads into the city, much to the chagrin of residents who have to endure this nuisance. There is still no time frame as to when the fire is expected to be completely extinguished, but at a late […]
A persistent fire at the dumpsite on the Western Highway was extinguished about a month ago after the blaze and smoke billowed for weeks. And just when things were getting back to normal, the fire has sparked off again. And this time, it can last for weeks putting at risk the health of residents in […]
Ambergris Caye is the most popular tourist destination and it is experiencing a construction boom despite a drop in visitors’ arrivals. Mega projects such as the controversial South Beach need an enormous quantity of gravel and limestone, which are being barged in at a high cost from the mainland. So there are now plans for […]
The Global Environment Facility is an environmental programme that provides grant funding for community projects that promote environmental economic and social development. One of its latest projects is the Green Wave Initiative that is intended to capture the importance of biodiversity and the need to conserve the flora and fauna. Over twenty-five representatives from various […]
The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management spoke out against government almost immediately after a decision to allow Seismic testing in the Sarstoon Temash National Park on April twentieth. Not long after, SATIIM received a letter notifying them that their co-management contract for the park had expired. This spurred reaction from the Association of Protected […]
