Day: July 2, 2025

On Tuesday, we took you to Laughing Bird Caye National Park, just off the coast of Placencia, where we got a close-up look at the incredible work being done by the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future and its partners to protect our precious marine spaces. Well tonight, we’re heading even farther south, this time to the breathtaking Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve. There, with support from the Belize Fund, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, and the Belize Coast Guard, a dedicated team is working tirelessly to safeguard not just Belize’s borders, but the rich natural treasures they hold. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Just thirty-seven miles off the coast of Punta Gorda lies one of Belize’s most prized, and most contested, natural treasures: the Sapodilla Cayes. This stunning atoll, rich in marine life, has long been the subject of territorial claims by both Guatemala and Honduras. And with its abundant resources, it’s no surprise that fishermen from across the border often venture into these waters. But there’s a renewed sense of hope for the future of this marine reserve. Thanks to support from the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment is on the ground, making sure these protected areas are truly protected. Executive Director Leonardo Chavarria Jr. gives us a closer look at the impactful work TIDE is doing with the help of the Belize Fund.

 

Leornardo Chavarria Jr., Executive Director, TIDE

“Under the Belize Fund  Project, what we do is that our rangers are fully equipped, so we have the vessels to undertake effective patrols. We have the different capacity building for rangers under the project and the living facilities. The accommodations that you see here on Hunter’s Caye are all funded by the Belize Fund, and of course other partners that have engaged over the years.”

 

In just four years, the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve has grown massively, from thirty-eight thousand acres to over three hundred thousand. That’s more than eight times its original size. It’s a huge area to manage, but the team at TIDE didn’t back down from the challenge. After spending more than three years studying the region, they officially stepped in to co-manage the reserve in 2023. And get this, they’re doing it all with just seven rangers. That’s right, seven people covering the entire reserve, without any direct presence from the Fisheries Department. So how do they do it? TIDE’s Project Manager, Florencio Coc, gives us a look at how his team is making it happen.

 

Florencio Coc, Project Manager, TIDE

“Our mandate is to execute the fisheries guidelines. That is our mandate. So in terms of anything that has to do with illegal entry, that goes channeled on to the immigration officer. Anything else? Immigration officer or the Coast Guard, because again, the Coast Guard also has a mandate as. As us if we are not present here, the Coast Guard has the legal authority to make arrests the same for immigration. So anything else that falls under the Fair Fisheries, it is us that conducts.”

 

Protecting the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve isn’t without risk. Many of the fishers who cross into Belizean waters are armed and may resist arrest. That’s why TIDE teams up with the Belize Coast Guard. Twice a day, two Coast Guard officers join TIDE patrols to help keep the team safe. Lieutenant Allen Armstrong explains the vital role they play in these joint operations.

 

Lieutenant Allen Armstrong, Belize Coast Guard

“We also conduct what we call the Operation Lighthouse, or better known as the Dotted Line Patrol. The Dotted Line patrol is whereby we conduct patrols from here out at Hunter’s Caye all the way to Sarstoon. This is along the equidistance line, so this is patrols that is conducted. At least four times per the month, so it’s one per week. Beside from that, we also conduct what we call the Corona Reef Patrols as well. The Corona Reef Patrol are better known  as the Cayman Crown Patrol is also conducted once per week, so these patrol are conducted. Four times for the month as well. So we’re looking at eight patrols at the post guard does within the Cayman Crown, and then along the dotted line for the entire month.”

 

It’s one of the most beautiful, and most vulnerable, locations in Belize’s southern waters. The Cayman Crown area of the Sapodilla Cayes sits right along the border with Guatemala, and that makes it a hotspot for illegal fishing. In just the past two years, authorities have intercepted ninety-eight vessels and seized seventeen pieces of illegal fishing gear, including gill nets and long lines, many of them traced back to this very area.

 

Leornardo Chavarria Jr

“One of the primary concerns  that we have is the issue of this by nature is a transboundary area. So we have a lot of illegal fishing that is carried out by our Guatemalan and Honduran neighbors. So we have fishing communities from Guatemalan and Honduras who are in close proximity, about forty-five minutes from here. And then they engage in illicit fishing activities. So they use gill nets, which are very destructive. They use long lines. They do night fishing. They use illicit spears for example. And so these type of things are already major concern to us because they do not fish like Belizean. These people, we have like hundreds of fishers that are utilizing these waters and doing so illegally.”

 

So far this year, the Belize Coast Guard has hauled in over fifteen thousand feet of gill nets, that’s roughly a hundred nets taken out of our waters. And they’re not doing it alone. With support from the Belize Fund through the Government Strategic Allocation program, the Coast Guard has stepped up its game. They’ve added two high-tech drones to their toolkit, these can soar up to thirteen thousand feet and cover distances of up to one hundred and ten miles, giving them a serious edge in spotting illegal activity from the sky.

 

Lieutenant Allen Armstrong

“Of recent, we’ve been using it mostly in what we call area two down south, which is by Barranco. So the drones would, or the drone team would then use these drones to go out, monitor the area, and once we encounter or see any Guatemalan fishers in the area, then of course the patrols would then go out and then intercept these vessels.”

 

Thanks to support from the Belize Fund, TIDE now has a powerful long-range camera stationed on Hunter’s Caye. It can spot activity up to ten miles away, day or night. On days when the sea is too rough for patrols, this camera becomes an extra set of eyes on the water, helping protect Belize’s marine reserve even when boots can’t be on the ground.

 

Leornardo Chavarria Jr.

“The Belize Fund has also provided the Belize marine protected areas network of which TIDE is a part of with, allocation for ranger salaries for an additional two year basis. So in other words the Belize Fund currently pays rangers working out here. And likewise, we have a big project that is about to complete in the next year or so, and we are eligible to reapply for another project.”

 

From north to south, Belize’s ocean spaces are getting a boost, thanks to the Belize Fund. Whether it’s protecting coral reefs, supporting marine patrols, or funding high-tech tools, BFSF is helping organizations across the country keep our waters safe, healthy, and thriving. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Today, the National Biodiversity Office, under the Ministry of Sustainable Development, launched its very first National Biodiversity Dialogue. The theme? “Biodiversity Beyond Boundaries: Connecting Ecosystems and Empowering Communities through National Collaboration.”  It’s more than just a mouthful, it’s a mission. This event brings together key players from across the country to strengthen partnerships, protect our ecosystems, and ensure that Belize’s protected areas are managed effectively and sustainably. News Five’s Britney Gordon was there and brings us the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

There are no borders when it comes to nature. Across Belize, hundreds of ecosystems are linked, not just by plants and animals, but by the people working hard to protect them. These natural networks provide vital resources, and it’s the efforts of conservationists that help keep them thriving. Today marked the kickoff of Belize’s first-ever National Biodiversity Forum, a space where those on the frontlines of conservation came together to share ideas, tackle challenges, and align their goals. Saul Cruz, Director of the National Biodiversity Office, explained why this kind of collaboration is more important now than ever.

 

 Saul Cruz, Director, National Biodiversity Office

“Really what the National Biodiversity Office is looking forward to is just having an open dialogue where we share a lot of what we’ve been doing in terms of our national policies, structures, and governance. But really also to provide a space for our unsung heroes to also provide some updates and some information in terms of what they’re doing. Some of the challenges. Some of the achievements and some of the opportunities for collaboration and partnership really the theme is just built around that. How do we strengthen partnership? How do we strengthen collaboration from government to our NGOs and to our protected area managers and even amongst government entities? And so it’s really focused around strengthening partnership, strengthening collaboration. And one way that we see that coming is through just information sharing, showing everybody what is it that we’re doing and what our plans are for the next coming years.”

 

The two-day forum drew participants from the north to the south of Belize. Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director of the Turneffe Atoll Sustainable Association (TASA) explains that his participation is a testament to TASA’s dedication to protecting Marine spaces, and the industries that depend on them.

 

Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director, TASA

“The marine environment itself contributes millions of billions of dollars in terms of the Belize economy. In 2024, the tourism industry alone was one point two-four billion. And so all of that is based on the biodiversity, right? That’s based on diving, snorkeling, fly fishing, those industries that contribute to the economy and that employ lesions. I think it was almost about twenty-five thousand people that were employed through the tourism industry. There are another three thousand fishers that are employed through the fishing industry and there are also about fifteen thousand families in northern communities southern communities, and across this country that depend on fishing, for example.”

 

 The forum is the first of its kind for the National Biodiversity Office (NBO), drawing attendees from government ministries, co-management partners, civil society, and academia. According to Cruz, the event comes at a crucial time for conservationists.

 

 Saul Cruz

“This is the very first event the National Biodiversity Office has been created in 2020. And from since then we’ve not been able to have. This sort of a national dialogue. And so it’s very critical at this point in time. It’s very important in terms of ensuring that we have a very strong communication and collaboration process with all our partners.”

 

Protecting Belize’s natural beauty isn’t just about passion, it’s about planning. And today, the National Biodiversity Office laid out exactly how that plan will unfold. During today’s session of the National Biodiversity Dialogue, the NBO presented its roadmap for how stakeholders, from government agencies to grassroots groups, will work together to protect our ecosystems. The aim is to make sure everyone knows their role in keeping Belize’s environment healthy, thriving, and accessible for generations to come.

 

Saul Cruz

“In our role, we are the co-manager of the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve. And so we basically are ensuring that we run the day-to-day management of the reserve, ensuring that whether you are a fishing stakeholder or a tourism stakeholder, or the general public, engaging with the reserve, that you comply with the rules and regulation and ensure that you’re not taking more than you should. You’re taking it within the rules. For example lobster season just opened. We have to ensure that everybody has their licenses for their boats, as a fisher. The same thing for tour guides, tour operators. We check with them to be able to ensure that they have their licenses and ensure that they’re doing proper things and not again jeopardizing the very biodiversity that they depend on for their livelihoods.”

 

NBO believes that by working together and crossing the borders that hinder them, that environmental stakeholders will start to see progress.

 

 Saul Cruz

“And so it’s understanding that biodiversity spans beyond our protected areas. And so it includes community, it includes people, and so understanding that interaction of people, our communities with our biodiversity and our protected areas is very essential to being successful in managing our protected areas.”

 

The national biodiversity office is charting the way forward in the way stakeholders design conservative strategies to ensure that the biodiversity is managed and remains in a healthy state. Britney Gordon for News Five.