Category: Environment

A new chapter in conservation is unfolding in Belize! This morning, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium kicked off the construction of a cutting-edge facility focused on rescuing and rehabilitating endangered marine life, including the beloved Antillean manatee. The Belize Marine Rescue and Educational Center is being built at Southern Lagoon, Gales Point, an area renowned for its vibrant manatee population. News Five’s Britney Gordon was on the scene for this exciting unveiling.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Belize boasts the largest population of Antillean manatees in the world and the most manatees in Central America. These gentle giants thrive in Belize’s rivers, which offer abundant vegetation and protection. However, they face daily threats from climate change and human activities. For over twenty years, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium has been dedicated to rescuing and releasing manatees in Belize. Today, they broke ground on a new Marine Rescue and Educational Center in Gales Point Village. Program Coordinator Jamal Galvez shared how this new facility will benefit both Belizeans and the wildlife they cherish.

Jamal Galvez, Coordinator, Belize Manatee Conservation Program

“This area of Gales Point has lacked livelihoods, economic activity for many years due to the road was inaccessible. But now, the pavement of the road. From construction phase, villagers will have jobs. Some of these villagers haven’t had a salary or paycheck for years. So from construction phase to, to the concept and to the development and the final stage when this center is actually completed, it will be one hundred percent Belizean employed. So students from far west, south to north you bring your credentials and we’re open to accommodate you to share that knowledge and to provide that employment. This center will be open for visitors, locally and internationally. So we’re hoping that it will support livelihood, it will help to be a part of ensuring that Belize’s marine ecosystem thrives.”

The center will welcome the public, offering a firsthand look at the efforts to preserve Belize’s precious marine wildlife. Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Orlando Habet, explained that the ministry will collaborate with Clearwater Marine Aquarium to support the project’s growth.

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“It is important because of the conservation of the manatees during the studies. Very importantly, it’s not only the part of the handling and managing the manatees, especially when they get hurt and bringing them for rescue, but also the research component, which is absolutely essential, and the educational component where you can bring in students from the different schools and universities. Not only in the region, but regionally and internationally to come and do some research and to do that part of the education process. For the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, I think what we have going with them is that we recently signed a co-management agreement with the team, and so we are now looking to await for their proposals.”

The Belize Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism are also teaming up on this project, as the new institute is expected to become a popular attraction for visitors.

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism

“ This will give them another attraction to come and visit. I’ve spoken to some of the cruise lines already, they are willing to support and the overnight sector, I’m sure they’re going to come here. And there are similar facilities across the Caribbean, especially in Cayman and other parts. whereby they have a rehabilitation center for turtles.  We are doing manatees and all marine creatures.”

The project is slated to take a year to complete and is estimated to cost up to six million dollars. Britney Gordon for News Five.

The Government of Belize recently presented its case at the International Court of Justice regarding the responsibilities of states in tackling climate change. These hearings are a historic step towards global climate accountability, aiming to clarify what countries must do to reduce climate impacts and protect vulnerable populations. Doctor Kenrick Williams, C.E.O. in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, highlighted the severe threat climate change poses to Small Island Developing States like Belize. He emphasized that this Advisory Opinion is a crucial opportunity for the international community to define state obligations in addressing this global crisis. For Belize, the stakes are incredibly high. Doctor Williams pointed out the significant challenges Belize faces, such as rising sea levels, warming oceans, and more frequent and severe storms. He shared the example of Monkey River, a community suffering from severe coastal erosion and economic losses, to illustrate the broader climate crisis affecting SIDS worldwide.

Dr. Kenrick Williams, C.E.O., Ministry of Sustainable Development

“Belize is uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, our nation is home to the second largest coral reef system in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the largest tract of forest outside of the Amazon in Central America.  These are not just natural treasures, they are lifelines for our biodiversity, economy and cultural heritage, yet they are under siege from rising sea levels, warming oceans, and increasingly severe storms.  Hurricane Lisa, alone, in 2022, caused damages of nearly US one hundred million dollars, affecting nearly forty percent of our population. Let me take one example of the profound human and environmental toll of climate change on Belize and on Small Island Developing States, more generally.  That is the case of Monkey River, once a thriving community engaged in fishing and ecotourism, it is now in crisis.  Rising sea levels and intensifying storms, unmistakable markers of climate change, have stripped away its coastline with some areas losing up to two meters annually. This underscores the urgent need for clarity on states’ obligations under international law to protect vulnerable nations.”

Despite these challenges, Belize has shown resilience by protecting over forty percent of its territory, shifting to renewable energy, and creating innovative financing mechanisms like the Blue Bonds for marine conservation. The I.C.J. is now considering important questions about state duties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prevent environmental harm, and support adaptation measures. Belize has urged the court to provide clear guidance to enhance accountability and international cooperation under frameworks like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.

The Belize City Council has faced this issue many times before, struggling to pay its garbage collection fees. It seems the problem has resurfaced, and the central government might need to step in. Today, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde explained that City Hall experiences peak and slow seasons for collections, and as it enters a slow season, it is having trouble meeting its commitments. However, he does not support introducing a garbage tax on residents to cover the shortfall.

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister

“There’s a time of the year when they collect a lot of money, and there’s a time of the year when they don’t. And then usually, they have problems meeting their bills in the times when they don’t, but if you’ve had the contract for as long as you’ve had the contract and there’s no other business in town., there’s no other game in town. Then you have to be able to sit down and reason and work through these things. Like, you shouldn’t get here. And then, I mean, the city’s dirty as it is. Even with the garbage being picked up on a regular basis. So, something’s gonna have to give. So, I think central government is going to have to sit with local government and find out exactly what is the situation and see what we can do from here.”

Reporter

“Will you advocate or suggest a garbage tax?”

Cordel Hyde

“We’re not there. We’ve not been there for the last six years. I don’t see why we would have to go there now. We just have to figure out how to pay our bills and make sure that we’re consistent with that. I mean, they’ve been doing it for the last six years. I see no reason why they shouldn’t, why they can’t continue to do that. So, I am not advocating for the garbage tax at all.”

At the beginning of the year, Wesley Junior College jumped into the Plastic Tide Turners Challenge, a worldwide youth initiative aimed at tackling plastic pollution by spreading awareness and taking action in their communities. Teaming up with the Sea of Life Organization, students got tech-savvy, using technology to clean up their campus and conduct waste audits. Fast forward nearly a year, and the school is making impressive strides toward eliminating single-use plastics on campus. We visited the school today to catch up on their progress. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with story.

Britney Gordon

Wesley Junior College is making great progress in cutting down on single-use plastics on campus. Back in January, students rolled up their sleeves for a campus cleanup and used the Trash Blitz app to track the most common litter. Since then, they’ve installed a refillable water station and stopped selling plastic water bags on campus. Paulita Bennett-Martin, the Director of Programs at Sea of Life, shared that they’ve conducted four Trash Blitz exercises since then, and the results are looking very promising.

Paulita Bennett-Martin, Director of Programs, Sea of Life

“We’ve done four waste audits on the campus and back last time you were here, we were finding hundreds of the shilling water or ideals pouches, right? And now I will say that number has decreased dramatically. I can’t give that number because we’re gonna have a report in February that tracks waste across the nation. But we’re seeing huge improvements to the amount of single use plastic water pollution on campus. And we’re also starting to see more awareness of plastic pollution as a whole because we’re also incorporating murals on the campus. We’re also doing classroom education. So there’s a few different things happening in addition to the refillable campus.”

To further increase awareness about the projects, the school partnered with local artist Keon Griffith, who was commissioned to paint three murals on the outside of the school. He has been working on the murals for about a month.

Keon Griffith, Artist

“It’s more like a give back type of stuff. So I asked her that, yes, I know you want a concept with this, but I think instead of formulating a concept, let’s just go on the school grounds and engage with these students and Let me bring in a photographer to capture these pictures so I can fully showcase my talent and fully be comfortable with the style that I do so we can have the best results partnering for this campaign. So that’s what we’re doing out here. So there is real students, actual students that goes to the school here. It’s on, it’s plastered on the wall, big, lifelike. And they love so far. They love the interaction is nice with the students engaging with the mural passing, identifying their classmates, so it’s nice.”

A key part of the project is getting young people excited about conservation. Fourth-form student Kayla Choc shares that she’s made a big effort to cut down on single-use plastics in her daily life.

Kayla Choc, Student, Wesley Junior College

“I’ve grown to know that single-use plastic is making our environment unhealthy, where it’s an unhealthy space to learn in, and if we have a healthier space to learn in, we can be more open-minded about what’s going on. And not only that, but we’re against this, we’re, our school is right across by the sea. It’s our neighbor. So we want to not only think about us, But think about the sea life. So those are some stuff that I’ve learned.”

Tyrone Harris, the Head of the Science Department, assured us that the campus water is top-notch, thanks to a reverse-osmosis process that filters out all sediments and purifies it. Plus, the school has exciting plans to install a second water fountain in the coming months.

Tyrone Harris, Department of Science, Wesley Junior College

“We definitely want them to be more aware and so it’s the goal of having them being aware of having a clean environment, having participating in conservation and also being an institution that is near the sea, have a care for the marine ecosystems and the flora and the fauna that play a vital role in us surviving, providing food and also  jobs as well.”

With more funding, Sea of Life hopes to expand this project to other schools across the country. Britney Gordon for News Five.

Students in Crooked Tree Village are having a tough time getting to school. Last week, during our extensive coverage of the flooding across Belize caused by Tropical Storm Sara, we showed you how residents had to use boats to get in and out of the village. This week, the struggle continues, and it’s the students who are feeling it the most. Today, we spoke with Steve Anthony Perriott, a Crooked Tree resident and parent of a student at Edward P. York High School. He shared his hopes for his child and all the other students in the community.

Steve Anthony Perriott, Resident, Crooked Tree

“It’s just getting around the village around the village. It’s the idea that life stops for us, literally, when we have to get Coast Guard and BDF to come into the village. First of all, we want to say enough respect and thank you to the Coast Guard and to the BDF for coming every time. Respect to the MIDH too, because they raised the road up to five feet in some places. And even with the road raised, the water is like two and a half feet in some places above the road. The reason why that is because we have two small bridges.  Sixteen feet of opening to flush out this whole lagoon. That’s not enough. It’s a half a mile lagoon, so we need a better drainage for the lagoon. What happened is that I heard the chairman mention that, is it, what’s the place back there? New River or something? That could be a drainage for crooked tree but that’s blocked. So what he’s proposing is that we dig a channel so that could help drain crooked tree. Because the road is higher, the water come in even more, into the village. Normally, before the road was raised, when the water got to a level, the Audubon building used to be the place for the Coast Guard and the BDF. Now what we find out is that, because the roads, the road has been raised, when the flood come, the water come in all the way to the Baptist Church. So now, that should be designated. for the BDF and Coast Guard in times of emergency.  The next thing is with the kids.  These kids have to get up at three o’clock every morning. They have to get out there four thirty to try to get a boat. There’s like sixty kids at least. Now, a boat carries twenty. One carry eight and one carry six.  And for a few days, you know, the kids have been missing the boat. I believe the chairman along with the Coast Guard and the BDF, they worked out something so that the kids are getting there on time. But the problem is they shouldn’t even have to go to school in any of the rural areas or any place that have flooding like this. The kids should be getting home schooling, you know, because if you get up at three o’clock by the time you get to school, you know, you’re in no way for one to learn.”