It’s an issue that has been bubbling for several years, but as the decision on building the Chalillo dam gets closer, those for and against the project are racheting up the rhetoric. Today both sides took to the streets of the nation’s capital. Janelle Chanona, Reporting While one side chanted for Chalillo, the other side […]
On yesterday’s newscast, we looked at damage which may have been caused by Hurricane Iris to the country’s barrier reef and marine resources. Today, we spoke to experts in Belmopan who reveal that large stretches of valuable forest in southern Belize may have also suffered significant degradation; harm that may be felt for many years […]
Hurricane Iris not only wreaked havoc on human lives and infrastructure, but also on Belize’s pristine natural environment. One of the major ecological victims is expected to be Belize’s Barrier Reef along with numerous patch reefs and cayes. Although the damage is now being assessed, we asked Ecosystems Management Unit co-ordinator James Azueta to describe […]
This morning, three community based organisations received monies to fund projects aimed at preserving the environment. The Golden Stream Corridor Preserve, Toledo Eco-Tourism Association and Rancho Dolores Environmental and Development Group were all approved for small grants from the United Nations Development Program to continue projects already underway. Today representatives of those organisations picked up […]
Following the recent publication of an article published in both international and national newspapers regarding the Chalillo dam, the Government of Belize has gone on the defensive against what it calls extremist environmental groups. In a letter signed by Cabinet Secretary Robert Leslie to the editor of the Globe and Mail, based in Canada, the […]
Say the word “Mollejon” in a crowd and you’re bound to get into a heated debate. B.E.L. is still saying that Mollejon isn’t a done deal, but simply an option worth exploring. Over the weekend, the company invited members of the Belizean press to explore the site for themselves. The trip couldn’t have come at […]
Both the I.M.F. and the Opposition UDP have complained about the rapid increase in the government’s foreign debt. Today, however, comes news of a welcome reduction in the amount we owe abroad. As part of its efforts to encourage world-wide conservation, the United States government has agreed to cancel approximately half of Belize’s outstanding debt […]
In more bad news from nature, the Mediterranean Fruit Fly has once again been detected in Belize. According to the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, quarantine check points have been established both in Placencia and at Savannah Forest station near Independence. Early detection and eradication of the medfly is important as widespread infestation can endanger acceptance […]
While there is little that Belize can do at this point to stop the Southern Pine Bark Beetle from destroying the once majestic Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, we can at least take some comfort in the fact that we are not alone in our misery. Word from Canada is that the province of British […]
An agreement was signed today to fund a study on the rehabilitation of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. The trees in the protected area have been largely destroyed by an infestation by the Southern Pine Beetle. The one hundred and fifty thousand U.S. dollars provided by the Government of Norway through the I.D.B. will […]
It was a low key ceremony held under a tent on the beach, but the project being inaugurated was radical in concept and bold in scope. Janelle Chanona reports from San Pedro. Janelle Chanona, Reporting The official launching of the Meso-American Barrier Reef System Project in San Pedro on Wednesday brought together environmental ministers from […]
Hurricane Keith left it bruised and battered, but thanks to a grant from PACT, the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary will receive a badly needed facelift. The sixty-five thousand dollars from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust will go toward the repair of two boardwalks and an observation tower, installation of new signs, improvement of trails and […]
At only one hundred and five acres, it is one of the nation’s smallest protected areas, but as the Toledo District becomes more accessible, Rio Blanco National Park will be receiving an increasing number of visitors. To help cope with the influx, the park will soon benefit from a grant of over twenty-three thousand dollars […]
With more and more of the region’s forests falling victim to machetes, chainsaws, bulldozers and wildfires, it is clear that more than just local efforts are needed to prevent wide-scale environmental degradation. This morning journalists were invited to support a regional approach. Jose Sanchez reports. Jose Sanchez, Reporting The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor is an ambitious […]
PACT, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, celebrated its fifth birthday today. The government organisation, dedicated to the conservation and development of the nation’s various protected areas, has awarded over thirty small grants totalling a million dollars. These projects include infrastructural development, training and public awareness campaigns for numerous national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and archaeological sites. […]
The Global Environmental Facility is an international small grants programme that assists grass roots organisations in developing community projects and creating jobs, mostly in rural areas. The funds, which can reach up to fifty thousand U.S. dollars, are monitored carefully by unpaid professionals who sit on G.E.F.’s National Steering Committee. Because it is the year […]
In the past non-governmental organizations had to fight to raise funds for projects that would help to build communities or preserve the environment. But a small grant programme facilitated by the United Nations Development Plan is making it easier for many development projects to get off the ground. Philip Balderamos, Co-ordinator, G.E.F. Small Grants Prog. […]
Over the weekend San Pedro, Ambergris Caye was the venue for the fifth annual Reef Festival sponsored by the environmental organisation Green Reef. Various sporting events were held on Saturday, and on Sunday the main event was a series of exhibits by and for the town’s school children. Theme of the festival was “Biodiversity: Our […]
It’s no secret that last month people drilling a water well near Calla Creek in the Cayo District found oil instead. On Thursday News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams asked Natural Resources Minister Johnny Briceno about the prospects for a gusher and what happens next. Johnny Briceno, Min. of Natural Resources When it came to our knowledge, […]
It may be the smallest of the nation’s protected areas, but Guanacaste Park was an ideal venue for the Belize Audubon Society and Minister of Natural Resources to reinforce Belize’s commitment to the environment. Ann-Marie Williams was on hand this morning to take in the sights and sounds. Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting Earth Day may have […]
When it comes to polluting the atmosphere, Belize is one of least guilty nations of the world. But that doesn’t mean we can rest on our reputation. One area in which we are falling behind is the use of refrigerants. Freon and other chloroflurocarbons from air conditioners and refrigerators contribute to the depletion of the […]
In environmental news, Cabinet has decided that a national sanitary landfill slated for establishment at Mile twenty-seven on the Western Highway will now be re-sited at mile twenty-four. The turnaround came after strident opposition from a coalition of environmental groups and local residents. According to Prime Minister Said Musa, the new site will work just […]
There are not many job openings in Belize for aeronautical engineers or nuclear physicists… but that doesn’t mean that our children cannot excel in science. For a decade now, the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre has been doing its part to acquaint primary school students with the scientific fundamentals, particularly in the field of […]
The Southern Pine Bark Beetle, having laid waste to the Mountain Pine Ridge, has now set its sights on other parts of the country. Reports from the Forest Department indicate that the southern coastal plain, stretching from Silk Grass to Deep River and including Savannah, Swasey, Bladen and Machaca, contain significant pockets of beetle infestation. […]
Guanacaste Park, the nation’s smallest but most accessible protected area, is being improved courtesy of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust. PACT and the Belize Audubon Society today signed a grant agreement under which the park will receive twenty-one thousand dollars to repair damages suffered in floods spawned by Hurricane Keith. These include the replacement of […]
