In the avalanche of weekend crime that was reported on Monday’s newscast we somehow managed to neglect one of the favourite events on our calendar…that is the opening of lobster season. Sunday marked the first day of legal lobstering and, as these photos show, Belizean fishermen were having no trouble in finding their prey. Fisheries […]
The eerie echo of a Howler Monkey’s cry can travel for miles, sometimes sending a chill down the spine, but always directing the eyes to the treetops, hoping for a glimpse of these magnificent creatures. It’s that kind of emotion that drives more than twenty thousand tourists a year to the Community Baboon Sanctuary in […]
It’s been called the source of all life, but lately Mother Nature’s liquid assets has been coming under waves of serious threat. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods reports on what Belize is doing to make sure we don’t end up in hot water when it comes to this vital resource. Martin Alegria, Senior Environmental Officer “Belize […]
It was a low-key affair, organised with little fanfare and even less advance notice. But make no mistake: what took place today in a remote corner of the Mountain Pine Ridge marked–depending on who you choose to believe–either the beginning of a new era of energy independence, or the greatest environmental and economic disaster in […]
This week is being observed as Coastal Awareness Week and the Coastal Zone Management Authority today held a symposium to discuss critical issues affecting Belize’s marine resources. Among those resources is our Barrier Reef. In 1995 News 5’s Stewart Krohn ventured out to Carrie Bow caye where he documented a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. […]
It’s the latest high-tech gimmick in the world of science education: a chance for students around the world not just to visit new places and learn new things via satellite and the internet, but to do so in real time. And beginning Tuesday, Belize’s mangrove and sea turtles will be the stars of the latest […]
Mention the wild cats of Belize and our thoughts invariably turn to the majestic jaguar. But that awe-inspiring animal is only one of five species of felines that roam the jungles of our country. Last weekend, News 5’s Patrick Jones ventured into the foothills of the Mountain Pine Ridge where he took a firsthand look […]
Placencia’s lobster fishermen will be upgrading their skills thanks to a grant from the United Nations Development Program. In a ceremony held Tuesday, a cheque for over forty-two thousand dollars was presented to Carlton Young Senior, chairman of the Placencia Producers Co-op. This represents the first instalment of a total of ninety-eight thousand dollars that […]
It may be the end of April, but for a group of conservation organizations it is feeling like Christmas, as a regional initiative this afternoon provided some much needed gifts. At a brief ceremony in Belize City, over eight hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment and infrastructural materials were handed over. According to National Coordinator […]
It is not a new story, but for people in Orange Walk it is still a big story. Once more, industrial pollution seems to be killing fish and nauseating residents. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods today spent some time on the river and returned with the following report. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting For those families residing along […]
Tuesday may have been Earth Day, but with the majority of the planet’s surface covered by water, Earth Day could just as easily be called “Ocean Day”. Tonight an exhibition opens at the Mexican Cultural Institute that takes a close look at one very special corner of the Belizean sea and the incredible creatures that […]
In case it wasn’t on your calendar, today was observed in Belize as Earth Day. Several organisations used the occasion to highlight what Belizeans are doing to leave the planet in better shape than they found it. Patrick Jones reports. Patrick Jones, Reporting The exhibition at the Leo Bradley Library Centre is focusing on conservation. […]
It has disbursed over two million dollars in grants, largely to grass roots environmental groups in communities scattered across the country. Today, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust was at it again with a donation of eight motorcycles to six different recipients. At a luncheon today in Belize City those vehicles were handed over and Minister […]
And while we were talking to the Minister of Environment, we asked him if he had any message for those persons and groups who fought so hard against the Chalillo dam, now that the project is about to commence construction. Johnny Briceño, Min. of Nat. Resources/Environment “First of all, we certainly appreciate that they took […]
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s a whole other world out there right at our feet…one filled with breathtaking vistas and amazing animals. Earlier today News 5’s Jacqueline Woods got her feet wet finding out how one community group is trying save the Haulover Creek from […]
For decades the fishing of lobster, whether by trap or free diving, has been one of the most lucrative of Belize’s economic activities, providing the nation with valuable foreign exchange and several thousand families with a better than average living. But, given the history of both legal and illegal exploitation, there is no guarantee that […]
Cruise tourism is booming and there is no denying that the U.S. dollars floating around Belize City are real. But can the country’s once pristine environment deal with the traffic? Today, with four cruise ships in the harbour, News 5’s Jacqueline Woods sought to find out. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting The weather may not have been […]
For some people, it’s a hard concept to grasp…how events along a riverbank deep in the Sibun gorge can affect coral in the Caribbean Sea. But that’s just what the Sibun Watershed Association, working with the Meso-American Biological Corridors project and Lighthawk, have tried to impress on the thousands of residents living along on the […]
Lying physically well outside the centre of CARICOM’s gravity, Belize does not get to host many of that organisation’s regional projects. But one initiative in which Belize has long held an edge is in the field of marine resources. Today ceremonies were held to inaugurate the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. The C.R.F.M., as I found […]
Every year thousand of visitors enter Belize to join their local counterparts in the passionate pastime called bird watching. Today, I did some bird watching of my own at the airport as some very special specimens became naturalised Belizeans. Janelle Chanona, Reporting This morning’s TACA flight out of El Salvador had precious cargo in its […]
Belize’s literacy rate has always been the subject of public discussion, initially due to its traditional high level, above ninety percent, and more recently due to its gradual decline to somewhere in the low 70’s. Today I sat in on one effort that seeks to measure–and improve–the literacy skills of Belizean students. Janelle Chanona, Reporting […]
When we last visited Hunting Caye in October of last year we noticed that while this queen of Sapodilla range was still a radiant beauty, her crown had grown a bit tarnished. Over the weekend steps were taken to restore the shine as one hundred and fifty coconut trees were planted to replace those that […]
Scientists say that Belize is home to one of the healthiest populations of manatees in the world…but the increased pressure of tourism appears to be taking its toll. Last week the corpse of a female manatee calf was found washed up in Driftwood Bay on the north coast of Belize City. It was the third […]
With the annual La Ruta Maya canoe race ready to rocket down the Macal and Belize Rivers next month, one group made sure that the paddlers would not be floating through garbage. Over the weekend the Belize Community Service Alliance sponsored a clean up of portions of the Macal River that had become hot spots […]
Since Belize participated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has been holding public meetings to review, prepare, and eventually implement the national action plan. According to Patricia Mendoza, the ministry’s Chief Executive Officer, a commitment to coordination is the key […]
