Australia is known for having the largest barrier reef but in the Americas we like to point out that Belize has the largest living barrier reef. That has been the main sales pitch of the tourism industry for decades but it turns out that our reef is in as much danger of dying as Australia’s. […]
Still on environmental news, the Second Caribbean Community Conference on Climate Change ended this week in St. Lucia with Secretary General Edwin Carrington calling for the expedition of the Climate Change strategic and action plans. The draft plan developed by the CARICOM Climate Change Centre here in Belize, is awaiting endorsement from the Council for […]
Belize is widely known for its beautiful fauna and flora and is market as an eco-destination to view all of nature’s wonders. But the attention placed on our exotic animal species is not always positive. The Forest Department has become aware that a lot of people are hunting and selling game meat. Chief Forest Officer […]
In January of this year, News Five reported on a predatory fish that infiltrated our Caribbean waters. The Fisheries Department and others offered rewards for anyone who catches the Lionfish, dead or alive. There have been reports of sightings of the fish in the Turneffe and Glover’s Cayes and tonight we can report that diver, […]
There is growing outrage that a large number of nurse sharks have been killed along the shores of Caye Caulker. And according to a tour guide who went to visit a small family island about five miles north of the island on Saturday, about thirty dead sharks were spotted in two boats. James Rosado was […]
And the price of fish has gone up considerably. But before you panic, we’re talking about the price of the dreaded Lionfish. The invasive fish specie released off the coast of Florida in the nineteen ninety’s, has spawned and affected reef ecosystems in many Caribbean countries. It eats just about anything; even fish twice its […]
And in news on the environment, expanded polystyrene foam, mistakenly known as Styrofoam, has been in existence since the 1940s… but while the containers produced with the material are handy, they are not necessarily environmentally friendly. The by-products do not break down and are not easy to recycle. That, along with its proliferation, has prompted […]
The celebration of the Belize Audubon Society’s forty years of conservation efforts started with Wetlands Day on Monday. On Wednesday, the Mexican Cultural Institute played host to Shutter Speed, a photo exhibit that chronicled five years in the boardroom and the different sites managed by Audubon. And today, the N.G.O. brought rural and city kids […]
In news of an environmental nature, this year the Belize Audubon Society is celebrating forty years of its active presence in Belize. There are many events planned in the months ahead by the N.G.O. to celebrate this milestone as the leading agency in promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. And this evening, the Mexican […]
We report tonight that there is a serious snag in the government’s case against the owners of the Westerhaven and it all has to do with our colonial past. The cargo ship that ran aground on the Reef on January thirteenth has been granted bail, meaning that as soon as its owners are able to […]
In last night’s newscast we reported that the cargo ship, Westerhaven that ran aground on the reef on January thirteenth, was still under arrest at Anchorage. But it seems that the ship might soon be free since the court has offered bail. Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh ruled that the ship can be released if its […]
The Westerhaven has not been the only one to cause damage to the Barrier Reef. There is another case we reported on January twenty-third in which Duane Miller, the owner of Bread and Butter Caye in the south, was fined for using living corals as landfill on his island. And tonight we report that there […]
The final figures for damages caused to Belize’s Barrier reef was officially released today by Martin Alegria, Chief Environmental Officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources. And the numbers have gone up considerably; in fact, almost doubled. The initial damage estimate was fifteen million U.S. dollars and Alegria says that there were other factors to […]
The barrier reef is inarguably our most precious natural resource. The reef blocks the sea from covering coastal areas such as Belize City which is below sea level. It also provides spawning sites for many aquatic species; seafood for export and the beauty of the corals inspire visitors from all over the world to contribute […]
No one from the Ministry of Natural Resources has been able to provide any feedback to News Five on the survey done on a nine-acre portion of the Caribbean Sea. Since Tuesday of this week we have been trying to reach either the C.E.O. in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Beverly Castillo or the Commissioner […]
Last Thursday News Five broke the story of a portion of the Caribbean Sea six miles northwest of San Pedro Town that had been surveyed on August eighth, 2008. During that time, the Ministry of Natural Resources was presumably closed for public transactions and was busy investigating alleged wrong doings. Well, interestingly enough, the nine […]
On Friday we reported that the government of Belize would be suing the owners of the cargo ship that ran aground on the barrier reef about fifteen miles north east of Dangriga on January Thirteenth. The figure is approximately fifteen million US dollars, we say approximately because the Department of Environment will make its final […]
The full extent of the damage caused when a cargo vessel went aground, has been described as one of the worst ever to our reefs, the longest living in the world. And while varying figures on damages have been thrown around, the Ports Commissioner has confirmed that the Port will be suing the ship owners […]
News Five broke the story on Thursday night that nine acres of open sea a few miles from San Pedro Town has been surveyed for the Eiley family of San Pedro; Ellis, Ruby and Ellis John. The shallow area was surveyed on August eighth of last year by the Lands Department. As Tourism Minister and […]
The Cargo ship Westerhaven has been lying atop the barrier reef near Southern Long Caye, about thirty-two miles from Belize City for the past forty-eight hours. The ship left Belize City after eight Tuesday night after dropping off a few containers and the damage to the reef is considerable. According to Ports Commissioner Major Lloyd […]
We have not heard much about them of late, but the new board of the Solid Waste Management Authority held its first meeting today. The inaugural powwow took place in Belmopan and according to Director Gilroy Lewis, the objective was to bring all the members up to date with the solid waste management project which […]
The historic Battlefield Park has been a meeting place since 1638 and it is where Labour Activist Antonio Soberanis and several political parties gathered in the heart of downtown Belize City when the labour movement was fighting for employment for workers in the 1934 and 1935. Over the years the Battlefield Park has continued to […]
For months Belize City residents have been patiently waiting for the revitalization of the downtown area to be completed and since the recent flooding, there has been an outcry for something, anything to be done to scale back on the potholes and the dust. This morning Minister of Works Anthony “Boots” Martinez reassured the public […]
You don’t have to be a driver to notice that Belize City streets are in desperate need for repairs. For far too long city residents have been clamoring for help with the deplorable state of the streets. And now that the rains and floods have come and gone, we wonder why there is no progress […]
Close to forty percent of Belize is designated as protected areas and maintaining that is not cheap. This week a group of organizations which fund conservation projects are meeting at the Biltmore Hotel to exchange experiences, discuss new challenges and opportunities. Kendra Griffith reports. Kendra Griffith, Reporting Representatives of the organizations which form the Latin […]
