BTIA Demands Stop to Sand Mining in Placencia, Ambergris Caye

The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) is calling on the government to immediately halt sand mining and dredging activities in the Placencia Lagoon and parts of Ambergris Caye.

On Monday the Ambergris North Alliance added its voice, urging the suspension of “all approval processes for development activities within protected areas and sensitive habitats” until proper community consultation takes place.

BTIA President Efren Perez says the concern is not limited to tour operators and hotel owners. “It trickles down to restaurants, it trickles down to the artisans on the street. And so when we start to look at the degradation of some of these areas, I think it will impact everybody directly and indirectly in tourism,” he said.

At the heart of the issue is Belize’s core tourism product. Belize sells itself to the world on the strength of its natural beauty, its lagoons, its marine life and its ecosystems. When sand mining disrupts those areas, it doesn’t just damage the environment; it damages the product that tourists are paying to come and see. Tour guides lose their livelihood. Hotels lose guests. And the effects trickle down to restaurants, taxi drivers and street vendors who never set foot near a dredging site.

Perez said the BTIA is not opposing development. What they are against is development that happens without proper oversight, clear permits and real enforcement. He said the transparency around how licenses are being issued in these areas has been a major problem.

“We want to make sure that whatever is being done and approved, it is done in a responsible manner, that it is guided by environmental safeguards,” he said.