The current floods are highlighting the effects of Climate change, and its impact to the economy and the population. It is an issue that has also been top on the agenda for scientists, environmentalists and policy makers worldwide… And today in Belize City, Security and Climate Change was the theme in the third of a […]
In recent days, news from the Customs Department has been about containers and illegal drugs. But today Senior Officers of the Customs and Excise Department shifted gears to focus on the environment. We’re not talking about the current flooding in western Belize, but an environmental topic of equal importance: the ozone. The three day training […]
Encompassing two hundred and forty-six thousand acres of land, the Chiquibul National Park is the largest protected area in Belize. But most of the reports on this newscast about the area centre not around its beauty, but on the destruction of its resources by our neighbours to the west. And instead of getting better, the […]
The tourism industry is facing a challenge due to the financial crisis in the U.S. from where most air and cruise tourists originate. And to bolster Belize as a unique destination and Mother’s Nature’s best Kept Secret, the Ministry of Tourism today received assessments and recommendations to keep the integrity of natural resources and at […]
There are reports from western Belize that the Macal River continues to overflow. According to Chief Meteorologist, Ramon Frutos, over the past weekend Guatemala and Belize experienced extreme rainfall. Frutos told News Five that due to the run-offs from Guatemala, rivers including the old Belize River, the Macal River and the Mopan River are overflowing […]
Reports to News Five this afternoon confirmed that the Kendall causeway in southern Belize is again under water and impassable tonight after heavy rains over the weekend. The causeway had to be closed last Friday but by Saturday morning it was opened again to vehicular traffic. Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Works, Cadet […]
Last week we reported of disruptions to traffic on certain sections of Albert Street, while there is little sign of improvement, the Belize City Council today informs of further closures on both Albert and Regent Streets. According to the City Council, both arteries in the downtown area will be closed again to vehicular traffic beginning […]
Since April, utility companies have been turning the streets of downtown Belize City inside out in an effort to upgrade their systems before CitCo begins its much anticipated paving project. But progress has not been painless and both pedestrians and motorists have been subjected to the inconvenience caused by blocked roads, congestion and a very […]
Over the next three days, scientists, policy makers and communication experts from across Central America will be meeting in Belize City to discuss Climate Change within the region. According to the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Change Program Coordinator, Nadia Bood, the idea behind the event is to stress that climate change is a real threat […]
The dry season may make us uncomfortable with heat and dust but that weather is a blessing for public works projects. And while they were a little slow off the mark, the Belize City Council is trying to make up for lost time … as News Five’s Marion Ali reports. Marion Ali, Reporting The aesthetics […]
This week approximately twenty-seven conservationists from around the world made their way to La Milpa Field Station in Orange Walk for a symposium on “Financial Sustainability of Private Protected Areas.” According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the World Land Trust, the gathering allows the men and women to share ideas […]
While most of the media focus along the border has been on the now dismantled settlement of Santa Rosa in Toledo, the fact is that in terms of destruction of Belizean resources, most of the problem lies further north. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports from a familiar forest: the Chiquibul. Kendra Griffith, Reporting When the […]
Before we sign off tonight we’d just like to mention to viewers that at any moment this transmission may cease. The problem involves a light pole on Albert Street that, never too strong to begin with, began to seriously lean when the utility trench being dug nearby, came too close. B.E.L. was scheduled to replace […]
On Tuesday, environmental organisations around the world will celebrate Earth Day. As part of official activities in Belize, at seven tomorrow night the Audubon Society will officially release its third Environmental Agenda. According to Program Advocacy Manager Tanya Williams-Thompson, the document is usually published just before general elections to highlight environmental concerns and suggestions to […]
For weeks now heavy duty equipment has been a part of the scenery in the downtown area as the various utility companies upgrade their respective systems. The activity, which is in preparation for the paving of Albert and Regent streets, has resulted in some inconvenience for motorists as traffic has had to be diverted to […]
The downtown area was abuzz with construction today as utilities conducted the necessary groundwork in preparation for the paving of Albert and Regent Streets. On Regent Street trench work was being done by Belize Telemedia Limited while on Albert, Belize Water Services was taking care of its pipes. According to Deputy Mayor Anthony Michael, the […]
Belize City is often criticized as being a dirty place, so today the Belize City Council embarked on a clean up campaign that they intend to maintain on a long term basis. The work began in Caribbean Shores this morning as maintenance crews were clearing drains, removing trash and mowing grass. According to Councillor responsible […]
As motorists we’ve come to accept potholes as a way of life in Belize. But in the commercial capital, many streets have come to resemble bomb sites with craters the size of cars replacing the asphalt. For three years the city council has maintained it was too cash strapped to alleviate the situation but today […]
When Belize’s economy was dominated by mahogany, this was a busy time of year with the quiet of the forests replaced by the hum of saw blades and thumping blows of axes. And while the timber industry is now an also-ran in terms of economic impact, the nation’s forests are still being logged … although […]
Covering the activities of Trekforce volunteers is nothing new for this newscast as we’ve been chronicling their adventures for years. But their latest project, as News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports, was more than just a walk in the park. Kendra Griffith, Reporting With the slash of a machete, Trekforce, along with Friends for Conservation and […]
Three Belizean organisations have been awarded grants to enhance sustainable tourism around the barrier reef. The Toledo Tour Guide Association, Green Reef Environmental Institute and Belize Audubon Society were singled out by the Friends of World Heritage for assistance in promoting projects that will raise income levels in communities surrounding the World Heritage sites while […]
Four local organisations have received grants from automobile manufacturers for environmental and cultural conservation projects. According to a release issued today, the winners of the Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grant Awards Program are the West Landivar Citizens Action Committee, which will receive eleven thousand dollars for their project: Dolphin Park, Green Spaces in […]
There is no denying the importance of coral reefs: they act as a safe harbour for fish, protect the coast, help to control the amount of carbon dioxide in the water, and they attract foreign tourists and their hard currency revenues. But reefs are also susceptible to many negative impacts, one of them being that […]
In a follow up to our story last night on environmental degradation in the Pelican Cayes, News 5 has been able to determine, based on data supplied by the Geology Department, that two dredging permits, each for sixteen thousand cubic yards, were issued to Treasure Cove Resort in 2006. An initial comparison of the coordinates […]
It was big news when word leaked out that government was considering the de-reservation and sale of thousands of acres of Bacalar Chico National Park on Ambergris Caye. But while public reaction was strong and justified, with little fanfare, a hundred miles to the south, activities were taking place that threaten to destroy one of […]
