When a Belizean manatee crosses the border north into Chetumal Bay, he doesn’t check in at customs. Likewise for Mexican manatees heading south. That simple example is just another way to remind us that in nature political boundaries are meaningless. Today an activity in Belize City provided the same message. Patrick Jones reports. Patrick Jones, […]
Today, a two-day workshop to explore financial sustainability of integrated coastal zone management in Belize came to an end at the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute. C.Z.M.A.I.’s board of directors have been given a number of recommendations that would allow them to be able to continue their work on behalf of Belize’s coastal resources. […]
It’s that time when our thoughts turn to Christmas and the days that lay beyond. If your mind is straying toward 2004, News 5’s Patrick Jones has a suggestion. Patrick Jones, Reporting When the new year rolls around, Belizeans at home and abroad will have an attractive way to keep track of important dates, while […]
Belizeans fed up with the incessant rains over the last two weeks today got some welcome respite from the inclement weather. But while the next twenty-four hours are supposed to be sunny, forecasters in Ladyville say it won’t last long. Deputy Chief Meteorologist Ramon Frutos, who is just back from the twelfth Central American Climate […]
It was splashed across the front page of this week’s Reporter newspaper: predictions of big trouble at the Chalillo dam resulting from a shortage of accessible aggregate and a minor earthquake at the site that the newspaper claims caused cracks to open in the earth. But the owners of the dam, Belize Electricity Limited, this […]
It was described on our newscast of June thirteenth as “the worst piece of legislation ever passed by the House of Representatives”, and nothing done since then has caused the news editor to alter his opinion of the Macal River Hydroelectric Bill. With that in mind, we should be gleeful then that today Cabinet announced […]
Manatees: they are the aquatic darlings of the conservation world…and it just so happens that Belize has the largest concentration of West India manatees in the region. To keep it that way a Belizean organisation long active in the protection of the marine environment was today charged with the task of giving the sea going […]
It is Belize’s oldest environmental group, but unless we visit our national parks and other protected areas, we don’t get to see what the Belize Audubon Society actually does. That will all change tonight as a photographic exhibition hosted by Audubon opens on the Barracks. Dirk Francisco, Photographer, B.A.S. “People use the images for presentations, […]
It’s a nation that is virtually unknown to Belizeans and most other Central Americans…but Finland may figure prominently in the region’s future. That’s the word emerging from a two-day forum on renewable energy that has attracted an impressive collection of participants. Patrick Jones reports. Patrick Jones, Reporting The Central American technocrats gathered at the Radisson […]
There is both good and bad news coming out of the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute tonight. The good is that with an estimated population of nine hundred, Belize boasts more Antillean manatees in our waters than any other country. The bad news is that those gentle creatures are dying at a rapid rate. […]
It’s not a new experience for Belizeans–in fact we report on the unusual tides almost every year at this time–but with the saltwater seeming to rise higher each season, is there reason for concern? Today I travelled the wet streets and wound up at the Weather Bureau. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting The overflowing creeks, flooded streets […]
It’s not certain whether the increased boat traffic surrounding the burgeoning cruise tourism industry is taking its toll on Belize City’s manatees…but what we do know is that tonight an ailing calf is struggling for life in the absence of its mother, the likely victim of a deadly propeller. Patrick Jones reports from Fort Point. […]
For several decades his name was synonymous with diving in Belize; and when he died last July the family of Hugh Parkey decided to honour his lifelong passion with the establishment of a foundation to promote undersea education. This weekend a fundraiser will be held featuring the work of some of the world’s best underwater […]
The Ford Motor Company, intent on displaying its good corporate and environmental citizenship, has been supporting conservation efforts for over twenty years in virtually every corner of the globe. Today, the company launched a campaign in Belize to reward efforts in support of environmental projects and jaguars. The two initiatives launched this morning in Belize […]
The Chalillo hydroelectric project is today one step closer to shaking off the legal challenges that have dogged it almost from its inception. This morning the Privy Council in London dismissed the application of the conservation consortium, BACONGO, for an interim injunction to halt construction of the dam on the upper Macal River. The injunction […]
For the last several years the often harsh debate over construction of a hydroelectric dam on the upper Macal has been largely academic. That is, while the pros and cons of the Chalillo project were argued in the press and courts, the river kept right on rolling, oblivious to the increasingly rancorous exchange. But now, […]
On the surface, Belize’s system of plentiful protected areas looks like a model of farsighted planning and efficiency. But underneath all those lush rainforests and spectacular coral reefs, there may not be as much coordination as meets the eye. Jacqueline Woods reports from Belmopan. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting While almost fifty percent of the country’s territory […]
Belize is the new home for five Harpy Eagles brought in from Panama over the last several months. Four have been released into the wild, while on Saturday one made its debut at the Belize Zoo. Speaking at the occasion, Rick Watson of the Peregrine Foundation, explained what the programme is all about. Rick Watson, […]
With U.S. troops still under fire in Iraq, Afghanistan and Liberia, you’d think that the Pentagon wouldn’t have time to talk about what the military can do to help the environment. But that’s just what a bunch of soldiers from the States and Caribbean basin were discussing today at the Radisson. Patricia Mendoza, C.E.O, Min. […]
They are known for their beauty, powerful prowess and aerial ability… but throughout the world Harpy Eagles are feared for their dominating presence, as many people mistake them for nothing more than cold-blooded killers. This afternoon, News 5’s Jacqueline Woods travelled to the Belize Zoo to take a closer look at these magnificent birds and […]
Last week it was mosquitoes; this week it’s an insect much less annoying, but far more costly to the economy: that’s right, our old friend the medfly is back. According to a release from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, the Mediterranean Fruit Fly has been detected in the Toledo District as well as South Stann […]
They don’t taste quite as nice as lobster, but that hasn’t stopped iguanas from becoming a popular dish on dinner menus in many parts of rural Belize. Today, however, I visited one place in the Cayo District where the population of the well-known reptile is being increased instead of depleted. Janelle Chanona, Reporting In April […]
In another political controversy–the Chalillo Hydroelectric project–government seems to be having better luck. Today the Belize Court of Appeal dismissed the application of the Belize Alliance of Conservation N.G.O.s, BACONGO, seeking to overturn last year’s Supreme Court ruling in favour of the Public Utilities Commission and its third master agreement with Belize Electricity Limited. This […]
On Friday the government passed a bill of dubious constitutionality, which seeks to put the Chalillo hydroelectric project beyond the reach of the legal system. But from the looks of things, Chalillo is doing just fine without any help from Belmopan. Today, the Court of Appeal ruled that it had no jurisdiction to grant an […]
Many Belizeans have visited the popular attraction known as the Blue Hole on the Hummingbird Highway. But not so many are familiar with the five hundred and seventy-five acres of jungle covered hills and caves that surround the deep blue pool. Today a new trail was officially opened, which links the park’s varied attractions that […]
