For the first time, the Ministry of Natural Resources has set aside a week to raise awareness about the work they do to promote sustainable development. Over the next five days, the observance will be marked with a number of activities co-sponsored by community and non-governmental organisations and the Government of Belize. On Monday the […]
If you live along the river or rely on wells for water, you have probably noticed extremely low water levels. What you probably do not realize is how serious the situation is, or that Belize is actually experiencing a drought. Authorities are concerned enough at this point to convene a special meeting in Belmopan with […]
She may be the only Belizean ambassador who never gets to travel abroad, and she certainly has the most humble home of the whole diplomatic corps. But this young gal, who turned a tender twenty-two today, never complains. Why should she? She has been visited by thousands of people from Belize and abroad, featured on […]
It is the envy environmentalists around the world… and today the organization called PACT continued its support for grassroots efforts at conservation. Jacqueline Woods reports. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting The management committees of the Gales Point Manatee Wildlife Sanctuary in the Belize District and the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve in the Toledo District received grants totalling […]
While residents of Belize City have been coping with the stench of smoke from the burning municipal garbage dump, those people living the quiet life in the Belizean countryside have not been spared from environmental problem of equal importance. Yesterday News 5’s Jacqueline Woods visited communities along the Sibun River to investigate persistent reports of […]
Last Thursday we introduced you to the bold participants of the first annual PACT challenge…a group of ten hardy souls who agreed to take part in an adventurous four day tour of the Chiquibul National Park and Forest Reserve. The PACT challenge 2005 ended on Monday and according to officials, was a resounding success with […]
The organisation known as PACT has for years been funding initiatives nationwide to help grass-roots groups manage, develop and preserve protected areas. This week PACT is doing something a little bit different to focus on one of Belize’s largest and last frontiers. On Wednesday I took bush to check it out. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Challenge […]
Sixty-seven fishermen, members at the National Fisherman’s Cooperative, will be involved in the co-management of two of the country’s leading marine protected areas. The sites, located at the Lighthouse Reef Atoll, are the Half Moon Caye Natural Monument and the Blue Hole Natural Monument. The news came at ceremonies marking the first disbursement of forty […]
It has a proud history as Belize’s original home of eco-tourism. But today the Village of Crooked Tree is going through some dry times. News 5 Patrick Jones has the story. Patrick Jones, Reporting Where fish normally swim, small aquatic birds now scratch for food. And while the village wilts under the intense dry season […]
It’s no doubt a great honour to for a country to boast a World Heritage Site…but how do you parlay that recognition into tangible benefits. This week some of Belize’s best and brightest minds are trying to answer that important question. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Since Belize?s Barrier Reef was named a world heritage site in […]
Last night Belizean environmentalists gathered in the old capital to honour one of their own. Well known conservationist Eloy Cuevas has been selected as the recipient of this year’s James A. Waight Award by the Belize Audubon Society. According to BAS, Cuevas was chosen for his work in the development of alternative livelihoods for fishermen […]
It’s one of those events that can easily be dismissed as a talkshop with no tangible outcome besides money being spent to hold a press conference. But tonight organisers of a new government initiative say the job of enforcing environmental treaties signed between Belize and governments around the world will be challenging but achievable. According […]
Despite a number of deaths and injuries from the increasing number of boats operating along the coast, Belize’s manatee population continues to thrive. And the survival of those fascinating creatures has been given some added assistance by the creation of a sanctuary in the waters between Belize City and the barrier reef. On Monday News […]
On Friday the Toledo Healthy Forest Initiative was launched with the first meeting of its task force. The Initiative’s purpose is to develop a sustainable forest management programme in the southernmost district. In his address to the gathering, Minister of Natural Resources Johnny Briceño, said Toledo has the healthiest forests in the country and it’s […]
The Belize Tourism Industry Association today convened a meeting of a group called Friends of Coastal Zone to discuss a concept paper for the management of the Belize Barrier Reef. It’s a two-fold proposal that would see the financially strapped Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute get full oversight responsibility along with much needed financial […]
Earlier this month, a project proposal spearheaded by local investors involving the Belizean barrier reef, which included building platforms at various points along the reef between Caye Caulker and South Water Caye, snorkeling trails, guides and proper bathroom facilities, triggered a flurry of negative publicity that appears to have all but drowned the idea. But […]
It has been a source of confusion for decades: two beautiful natural formations, each called the Blue Hole. It wouldn’t be so bad if they were in close proximity, but as most school children know, one sits just off the Hummingbird Highway. While the other lies fifty miles off the coast within the coral ring […]
Proponents of a project to manage tourism on the Belize Barrier Reef say they will hold a press conference sometime this week to explain their plans to the public…although no time or date has been set. Today, however, representatives of the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute have clarified their organisation’s role in the initiative. […]
Tonight Belizean investors behind a tourism project involving Belize’s barrier reef are remaining tight-lipped about their plans, claiming reports in the local media are threatening to swamp their scheme even before it hits the high seas. Being sold under the title of the Belize Barrier Reef Park, the proposal is financially backed by Belize City […]
They are cutting their preferential treatment for our sugar and bananas, but the European Union is still helping Belize create a better future…in the most recent instance by assisting efforts at grass roots environmentally sound development. Jacqueline Woods has more on the E.U. initiative. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Can Caribbean countries protect their natural resources and […]
While substantial grants from abroad are helpful to get projects off the ground, recent history has shown that long term success can only be achieved by self-sustaining local funding. And that’s exactly the goal of a project being inaugurated by PACT. Patrick Jones, Reporting The business plan initiative is the brainchild of the Protected Areas […]
Several weeks ago, we reported on concerns expressed by health officials over some diseased chickens observed at a farm near Spanish lookout. We are happy to report that following investigations by the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, the quarantine placed on that farm has been lifted. Tests of the birds, which had been found with excess […]
You may remember her from the eighties TV show Hart To Hart but actress Stephaine Powers has been busy travelling the globe in aid of the world?s natural resources specifically as a spokesperson for Ford Motor Company’s environmental protection programme. Each year Ford awards individual grants totalling ten thousand U.S dollars to groups or persons […]
It’s a public lecture set for Wednesday night at six…which means that if you attend you’ll miss your favourite TV newscast. But that’s ok with us because the subject of the discussion is an important one for Belize. It’s called climate change–better known as global warming–and it’s already affecting everything from agriculture to tourism. This […]
Late this morning residents of Buttonwood Bay noticed a baby manatee that appeared abandoned and disoriented in the shallow waters near the neighbourhood park, apparently suffering from a propeller wound. Specialists were called and by three p.m. a rescue was well underway. Nicole Avil, Wildlife Trust ?This animal is a calf. From in the water, […]
