Another hot button issue for the Mayas is the controversial land rights case against G.O.B., which has remained in the news for some time. And although the long running claim has been on the back burner since the last court session in February, the indigenous people in the south are not at ease. According to […]
The umbrella for Non Governmental Organizations APAMO, has been vocal of late regarding the management contracts of reserves around the country. The issue became paramount when SATIIM was denied renewal of its management contract of the Sarstoon Temash National Park after it raised concerns of seismic testing within the area. APAMO says it was quick […]
The illegal clearing at Victoria Peak has had residents up in arms since it first came to light last Thursday. The unique and pristine vegetation was destroyed in an area covering ten by fifteen feet at the summit of the national monument to accommodate the landing of a BATSUB helicopter on April eight. Victoria Peak […]
Late last week, environmentalist, Sharon Matola of the Belize Zoo said she had nothing to do with an illegal clearing recently discovered by the Belize Audubon Society at the pristine Victoria Peak that is likely to cause erosion and has destroyed a portion of its unique vegetation. On Saturday, Matola was joined by Alan Rabinowitz, […]
The clearing of a portion of the summit on the Natural Monument, Victoria Peak has caused public outrage and tonight denials are coming fast and furious. News Five broke the story last night following an investigation by the Belize Audubon Society revealed that the unique vegetation had been cut to accommodate a planned chopper visit […]
Last Friday, the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, SATIIM, protested G.O.B.’s decision to grant U.S. Capital Energy permission to conduct seismic testing in the Sarstoon Temash National Park without consulting them. SATIIM has since received a letter from the Ministry informing them that the co-managing role they played over the park expired in 2008 […]
Victoria Peak stands majestically proud at three thousand six hundred and seventy-five feet. Hidden deep in the Maya Mountains, the natural monument is the highest point in Belize. And tonight coming on the heels of Earth Day it has come to light, that major environmental damage has been done to the Peak. Earlier this month […]
While Audubon is outraged over Victoria Peak, APAMO is equally incensed over seismic testing in another national park. This has to do with permission given by the Forest Department to U.S. Capital Energy Belize Limited to conduct seismic testing within the Sarstoon Temash National Park. That decision was fiercely resisted by Greg Ch’oc of SATIIM, […]
And while we reported earlier in the newscast about major environmental damages to two reserves, at Wednesday’s press conference, Prime Minister Dean Barrow was effusive of the bountiful flora of the country. This is what he had to say. Prime Minster Dean Barrow “I wanted to recognize Earth Day. I believe we all know that […]
Over the years Belize has been able to sell itself to visitors with catchy terms such as “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret,” and “Make the Choice, Play a Role, Enhance the Tourism Experience”. And while tourism has been a major revenue earner, over the past few years the jewel has been experiencing a decline in […]
The earth is believed to be four point five billion years old but it is only since 1970 that nations began observing Earth Day. The Belize Audubon Society also joined in the celebrations back then. While Earth Day is celebrated worldwide today, the activities in Belize are planned for Saturday April twenty-fifth. The Belize Audubon […]
The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, SATIIM, lashed out at a government decision on Monday to grant permission to U.S. Capital Energy to conduct seismic testing in the Sarstoon Temash National Park. SATIIM said it felt betrayed by the Prime Minister at the secret manner in which the permit was granted. But SATIIM’s co-management […]
There are harsh words coming tonight from the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management. It is over a decision by the Forest Department to grant permission to U.S. Capital Energy, a private oil company, to enter the Sarstoon Temash National Park and conduct seismic testing. SATIIM says that while it manages the National Park, it […]
The fortieth Annual General Meeting of the Belize Audubon Society was held this past Saturday at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Two hundred members from across the country attended and elected a new Board of Directors for the fiscal year. The meeting was also used to emphasize recent achievements and the strategic plan the organization […]
They say where there is smoke there is fire, so the smoke emanating from the dumpsite off the Western Highway is a sure sign that the filth is ablaze. This problem is not new to south side Belize City but it is making many sick. Almost every year around this time residents and motorists travelling […]
Mexican Billionaire, Ricardo Salinas Pliego, whose luxury yacht anchored on the reef on April seventh, has been ordered to pay the price. According to information reaching News Five, the damage tallied up to the tune of eight hundred thousand U.S. dollars, which Salinas Pliego committed to pay on Holy Thursday before he sailed away. But […]
For days the Belize City garbage dump site on the Western Highway has been smoldering and the toxic smoke is affecting residents who live in the vicinity. The City Council with help from the Fire Department hoped it would have all been over by the end of the week, but there was another flare up […]
In recent months two cargo ships, The WesterHaven and Caribe Mariner caused extensive damage when they ran aground on the reef and now there is a third case involving a luxury yacht that dropped its anchor on the reef on Monday night. A damage assessment has still not been concluded and Jose Sanchez followed the […]
South Beach Belize is a mega project in San Pedro AC that has come under close scrutiny by environmentalists and others. Developers of the project propose to build a casino, hotel, condos, restaurant, sports complex, shopping mall, sporting complex and playgrounds fashioned after Florida’s South Beach. The project is planned to sit on a five […]
Remember the story we aired back on January fifteenth where a portion of the Caribbean Sea a few miles northwest of San Pedro was surveyed and leased off for development? Well, News Five did a follow-up on that story today and found out that this particular case represents just one of over forty under investigation […]
We reported on Thursday about a number of logs that were seized by the Orange Walk Forest office on Liberty Avenue from two trucks after they were felled from a protected area near the Honey Camp Lagoon known as the Fresh Water Creek Forest Reserve. Acting Chief Forest Officer, Marcelo Windsor, explained today that while […]
While diplomats on both sides concentrate on taking the Guatemalan dispute to the International Court of Justice, encroachments in Belizean territory by Guatemalans continue to grow by leaps and bounds in the Chiquibul National Park deep in the Maya Mountains. Marion Ali did a fly-over of the reserve today and found that in some areas, […]
In 2006, the Geology Department issued two dredging permits, each for sixteen thousand cubic yards, for a development on one of the Pelican Cayes. That very year, the Pelican range was included in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, a part of the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site. Since the dredging and land fill […]
Not only does it provide a barrier from the sea, it also provides a healthy environment for many species to live. But all over the world global warming has been blamed for the slow death of many reef systems. Two reef specialists, Lisa Carne and Doctor Austin Bowden-Kerby, are in Belize working on a project […]
But before the Central Americans huddle with the U.S., the world is being asked to turn off the lights this Saturday for one hour as a part of the annual Earth Hour Initiative. With climate change becoming a growing concern, Earth Hour is aimed at reaching out to communities to take small steps to mitigate […]
