Today a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Meso-American Barrier Reef Systems project, M.B.R.S., and the Mexican research institute, ECOSUR. Both parties believe they have a mutual interest in the management of M.B.R.S. and this afternoon they agreed to continue to work together. Cecilia Elizondo, P.R. ECOSUR “We were doing things with the fisherman?s […]
The term “biodiversity prospecting” is not an everyday conversation topic in Belize; but as industrialized countries continue to search for newer and cheaper sources of pharmaceutical and agricultural products, researchers are taking to the forests and seas of developing countries around the globe. And since there are no mechanisms or legislation governing the systematic search […]
Next month, the National Lands Advisory Committee will be holding a symposium as a follow-up to its nationwide consultations. These were held to obtain the views of the public on issues of land allocation, acquisition, and the formation of a Land Distribution Policy. A synthesis of the meetings with landowners, real estate agents, farmers, community […]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, Johnny Briceno, gave the keynote address at a conference on Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change in Trinidad earlier this month. His topic was “Policy and People Issues in Regional Climate Change.” News 5 was provided with some excerpts and comments he made to the press following the […]
More visitors than most of us ever imagined now flock to enjoy Belize’s natural wonders. But while tourists from Milwaukee to Melbourne are enjoying themselves in our forests, rivers, and sea, most Belizeans have yet to catch the jungle fever. Today News 5’s Jacqueline Woods discovered that imbalance may not be permanent. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting […]
When it comes to nature based tourism, a number of Belizean villages have begun to capitalize on either their beautiful surroundings or their wildlife, or both. Perhaps the most recent entry into this segment of the tourism market is Rancho Dolores. But unlike Bermudian Landing, which made a name for itself with its howler monkeys, […]
It’s a classic beauty that, thanks to a whim of mother nature, has fallen on hard times. Patrick Jones reports from the Mountain Pine Ridge on plans for the rehabilitation of one of our most precious protected areas. Patrick Jones, Reporting For over four decades, the cascading waters of the Hidden Valley Falls have been […]
A decade of environmental education has taught Belizean children that mangroves are important to the nation’s future. But that hasn’t necessarily stopped their destruction. Patrick Jones reports on a meeting in Belize City designed to assess the state of this important resource. Patrick Jones, Reporting The two-day workshop is putting some critical attention on the […]
Most of the publicity about the Chalillo hydroelectric project has involved the legal and political battles over its very existence. But Chalillo is making the transition from controversy to reality. This morning I visited the site to attend a ceremony marking the first pouring of what will be more concrete than this country has ever […]
It is a recurrent question: can humans coexist alongside crocodiles? The answer seems to be “sometimes.” But when the animals become a threat to the community, they need to be caught and relocated. One man decided there must be an easier way to trap the crocs than the usual snare method and devised a trap […]
According to the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, there are more than a hundred fishing camps scattered across the cayes. But as economic trends continue to push for diversification from traditional products, fishermen say they are eager to tap into Belize’s big money maker, tourism. But according to the C.Z.M.A.I, if there’s to be […]
It’s the second largest income earner in terms of captured fisheries for Belize, surpassed only by lobster. And in 2003, conch production continued on its usual trend with fishermen hauling in three hundred and fifty-one thousand pounds of the delicacy. To ensure the survivability of this valuable resource, this week the Fisheries Department is discussing […]
He’s nothing if not persistent in his efforts to keep the waterways and communities surrounding them in the Cayo District environmentally healthy. And this week Luis Garcia was recognised with the James A. Waight Conservation Award. Garcia, whose work includes the “Save the Rivers Campaign,” “Village Tours”, and “Health Days”, picked up his trophy during […]
Like the Belize-Guatemala border which has somehow been turned into an “adjacency line”, in recent years the Belize Barrier Reef has magically metamorphosed into the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. In both cases the prime mover behind the change in nomenclature has been the lure of international finance. Patrick Jones reports on the latest offshore injection of […]
Not all the funding to preserve the nation’s world-class natural attractions comes from abroad. Thanks to our own PACT, the world’s biggest fish will be able to call Belize home for a long time to come. It was not the right time of the year, but still we scanned the surface of the deep blue, […]
The controversy has been going on for so long that it’s hard to believe it’s finally over. This morning in London the Privy Council, Belize’s final court of appeal, handed down its decision in the case of the Chalillo Hydroelectric Project. By a razor thin vote of three judges to two, the court dismissed the […]
Moving ahead was also on the mind of those on the losing side of the four year long controversy. While he admitted that this particular legal battle was over, BACONGO chairman Godsman Ellis vowed that his group and others had forced important issues to be confronted and they still will play a major role in […]
Two environmental projects in Belize are tonight receiving grants from automobile giant, the Ford Motor Company. According to the company’s director of environmental outreach and strategy, Andy Acho, the grants are Ford’s way of helping the world’s environment. Andy Acho, Dir., Environment Outreach, Ford Motor Co. “We have two different programmes at Ford Motor Company. […]
While the ten special marine tour guides were getting their certificates and having lunch with the Minister at the Princess Hotel, down the street at the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute a group of their colleagues were learning about the proper use of Goff’s Caye, a tiny one acre island located twelve miles offshore […]
A three-year conservation and development project for the Port Honduras Marine Reserve and Payne’s Creek National Park is being launched tonight in Punta Gorda. The aim is to conserve the resources of these protected areas as well as develop alternative income generating options for local residents. Activities include a fire management plan, demarcation and installation […]
You’ve seen them all over the country: animals that are supposed to be wild, tied up or caged as pets. Ever wonder what happens to these creatures when their owners are no longer willing or able to care for them? Today I found out. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Meet the Monkey Lady… Robin Brockett, Monkey Lady […]
We featured it in a story a while back and today the gem known as Davis Falls in the Sittee River Forest Reserve is finally about to acquire upgraded administration. Under a co-management agreement signed between the Forest Department and the N.G.O., Friends of the Valley, the consortium of villages on the Hummingbird Highway and […]
The opening of the forty-third session of the Caribbean Meteorological Council was the occasion for Minister of Natural Resources Johnny Briceño to sign on the dotted line for a European Union financed project under which Belize and three other countries will receive advanced weather radar systems. According to Chief Meteorologist, Carlos Fuller, while satellite imagery […]
Once upon a time–and it was not that long ago–Belize’s sole maritime protected area was a tiny patch of sea surrounding Half Moon Caye. Today it’s a different story, with nearly a dozen marine reserves covering large areas of the cayes, reefs, and atolls. Yesterday News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was on hand for a major […]
The Green Iguana is one of the most heavily hunted reptiles in Belize. It is mostly caught or killed when the mother is full of eggs or with her young ones. Because the animal is strictly vegetarian, many people consider it a fine food source, so fine that the green iguana is becoming endangered. But […]
