G.O.B. Hosts Inaugural Blue Forum

Key players in Belize’s marine sector came together in Belize City to chart the future of one of the country’s most precious natural treasures. The Government of Belize, teaming up with the Inter-American Development Bank, launched the first-ever Blue Forum. Over the next two days, the event will spotlight knowledge, innovation, and action. News Five’s Paul Lopez was at the Biltmore for the opening ceremony and has this report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

This morning in Belize City, the Government of Belize and the Inter-American Development Bank launched the Blue Forum. Themed ‘Advancing Collaboration and Innovation for Belize’s Blue Economy,’ the event aims to foster new ideas and partnerships. Prime Minister John Briceno took center stage as the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony.

 

           Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It is not just for us to be here at a forum to talk and boast about our accomplishments. It is important for us to come together as a community, as Belizeans and people that live outside of Belize to discuss what we have done so far and what we have done together. This Blue Forum is about knowledge, innovation and action. So, we gather for more than a celebration of our progress but to testify about our shared commitment to the sustainable management and conservation of Belize’s vast marine resources. And we take this opportunity to gather as like-minded people, to rally behind this just cause, a cause which will shape a future where Belize’s marine wealth is not only protected but harnessed to uplift every Belizean.”

 

The forum is a gathering of key players in Belize’s marine sector, diving into insightful discussions on science-based ocean management. On the first day of the Blue Forum, the spotlight was on knowledge, innovation, and action driving Belize’s vibrant blue economy. Beverly Wade, the CEO of the Ministry of Blue Economy, highlighted that the engagement zeroes in on both the triumphs and hurdles within the marine space.

 

                    Beverly Wade

Beverly Wade, C.E.O., Ministry of Blue Economy

“It is really a call to action for us to colelctiv3ly put our efforts together to help us continue to chart a way for a successful blue economy in Belize that is based on science, informed decision making and that we have people central to the discussion. We have a series of sessions to touch on various areas, from sciences, to applying that science, community resiliency, stewardship and the big discussion around sustainable financing. The idea is that each session will lead to discussions, and we are hoping to now have a  formal proceeding that will have recommendations coming from each session that we will use as regulatory agencies, as on the ground partners, to look at where are those areas we now need to look at strategically and put our investments in.”

 

Minister of Blue Economy, Andre Perez, delivered the closing remarks at the ceremony. Minister Perez emphasized that Belize’s blue space is not just a natural treasure but also a key economic driver. He stressed that his ministry is committed to making science-based decisions and ensuring that everyone has a voice in the process.

 

                        Andre Perez

Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy

“We cannot do this work alone. The challenge we face such a climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, habitat degradation and the need for long-term financing are complex and interconnected. Addressing them requires a collective effort, bringing together government agencies, local communities, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and international partners. This is why the blue forum is so important.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

Responding to a Barrier Reef in Peril

Belize’s barrier reef is facing a serious threat. Stony coral tissue loss disease is wreaking havoc on large sections of the reef, according to Beverly Wade, the C.E.O. of the Ministry of Blue Economy. The damage is most noticeable in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, though areas in southern Belize have shown remarkable resilience. Wade mentioned that her ministry is actively seeking the best ways to respond to this crisis.

 

                   Beverly Wade

Beverly Wade, C.E.O., Ministry of Blue Economy

“It is one of the things we are grappling with. Our reefs are in peril. We have come under some of the most extreme temperatures and we have been impacted by the stony coral tissue loss diseases, aside from the normal diseases that impact reefs. There are some resilient areas. We have bright spots. There are some areas we are seeing rebounding. We are hoping it is so. What is important is that we are not just sitting back and saying the reef is dying and we are not doing anything. The government committed to the protection of twenty percent of Belize’s reef and that is an important thing for us. We are looking at identifying what that twenty percent is by the end of this year and to look at how we can designate those areas. They are important for us, because we have to ensure how we identify those areas around our reef that are important for genetics and resiliency. We have to have a strategy as we are developing a restoration strategy and policy to see ho we now respond. It is not something we and respond easily but we are now looking at how we create that pathway for response.”

1.1 Million Dollars for Conservation Projects in Belize  

The Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future is pouring over a million dollars into conservation projects across Belize. This fund provides long-term support for initiatives that protect our marine life and biodiversity. Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon was in San Ignacio to meet the eight lucky recipients of this award. Here’s the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Today, more than one million dollars was spread across eight conservation projects in Belize, thanks to the generous support of the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future. This fund is all about creating transparent and inclusive financing to boost Belize’s marine and coastal resources. Leandra Cho-Ricketts, the Executive Director, shared how these grants align with the fund’s vision for a vibrant and resilient blue economy in Belize.

 

                Leandra Cho-Ricketts

Leandra Cho-Ricketts, Executive Director, Belize Fund

“This is our third  award ceremony and every year we have a call for proposals. And after the end of that call, we award grants, right? So this year we awarded eight grants. Four were regular grants as we call them, which are range from small through medium, large. So that’s between fifty thousand up to eight hundred thousand. And then we had a new category this year. So for the first time we’re offered community grants. So these are smaller, these are up to seventy-five thousand. We awarded four, and as the name suggests, they were awarded to all community based entities.”

 

The Belize Fund channels its Blue Bond Funding through two key programs. The Government Strategic Allocation (GSA) is backing the government with over five million to bolster Belize’s conservation efforts. Meanwhile, the Grant Awards Program (GAP) offers funding to non-government partners who share the Belize Fund’s mission. The Director of Blue Economy in the Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management emphasized the ministry’s dedication to using these resources to hit the fund’s conservation milestones.

 

                        Felicia Cruz

Felicia Cruz, Director, Ministry of Blue Economy & Disaster Risk Management

“Partnerships are very much important to us and. At the ministerial level, we know that we can do so much more together than a loan. And that really is the ambition for blue economic development in Belize. Strategic alliances that will help our society and our communities prosper. That will help the environment to ensure its viability and its health. It’s safeguarded and of course to ensure that our communities benefit economically from these initiatives, which we’re very much proud of today.”

 

There are four thematic areas prioritized by the Belize Fund: protection for biodiversity, sustainable fisheries, climate resilience and blue business innovation. Hector Martinez received a seventy-five thousand dollar grant on behalf of the Shark Fishers Association. These funds will be used to ensure compliance with international Shark fishing standards and data collection.

 

                       Hector Martinez

Hector Martinez, Grant Recipient

“We set  cameras at different locations on the reef three. Three sites on the main reef and three three als. And we are gonna compare that video footage to previous footage collected over the past years. And like I said, the idea is to monitor the abundance of sharks. And we also work strictly with the shark fishers who actually fish sharks, like not lobster fishers, conch fishers, but actually shark fishers. And the benefit of that is that days that we are doing research is days that they’re not fishing sharks. Whether nothing else works, we are reducing the shark fishing pressure.”

 

Cho-Ricketts highlights that the Belize Fund guarantees transparency by meticulously following up on every project.

 

Leandra Cho-Ricketts

“We have  a very excellent team that’s tracking project performance. We have a whole monitoring and evaluation system and a team that does that touches base with grantees and tracks their progress. But in the case of the community grants, we provide the fiduciary management, so we don’t actually give them the money. We will disperse or not disperse, procure services that they need to allow them to do the work.”

 

Jeavon Blancaneaux from Creative Imageries Motion Art Studio was awarded a generous grant of seventy-four thousand, nine hundred and sixty dollars to empower women and youth through animation. Blancaneaux is excited to create an animated film that showcases Belize’s vibrant marine life.

 

                 Jeavon Blancaneaux

Jeavon Blancaneaux, Grant Recipient

“It will bring the orange economy, we’re talking about the creative sector, bring it to the forefront employing young people, employing women. But we also hope to create awareness through this means in a creative way. So we want to teach about the marine world. We want to teach about protecting the marine world, but we also want it to be in a creative, enter entertaining way so that our Belizean people can actually appreciate what we have in our marine space.”

 

Other projects funded include lagoon protection, plastic sustainability and Barrier Reef conservation programs.

 

Leandra Cho-Ricketts

“For the community grants they needed to just meet one of the four. But  we were looking for projects that particularly involved fishers, so we gravitated toward fisher proposals. We wanted to ensure we could engage youth. So of course we were looking for projects like that, but projects that really looked at bringing hands-on capacities and empowering those community groups to do actions on the ground themselves.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.

“Abandoned Lots Are Not Created by the City”

There are over two thousand abandoned lots scattered across Belize City. Following a structural fire that started in one of these abandoned houses, the National Fire Service has urged the Belize City Council to take swift action against the property owners. Belize City Station Supervisor, Gladstone Bucker, claimed that the council has ignored this issue for years. Today, Mayor Wagner addressed these criticisms.

 

                  Bernard Wagner

Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City

“Abandoned lots are not created by the city. All abandoned lots in the city have owners, whether it be an estate or a grandmother or grandfather, but it has owners. The city has already been bogged down with paying garbage fees, has been subsidizing garbage fees. We can’t subsidize the cleaning of abandoned lots. We did a forum in 2023 at the Civic Center where we highlighted and identified two thousand abandoned lots. It requires collaboration and a broader interest, not only from the local government but it requires a national perspective. The ministry of natural resources has the ability and capacity to drive change in that area in terms of acquisition, repossession of those abandoned lots. We continue to send the signal that we want to work with the national government on getting the abandoned lots issue resolved, either by way of the government repossessing through the National Assembly, requiring those lots and distributing them to those in the city who need a lot, or areas that may need a park, a parking lot or urban gardening. But reimagining the city without those abandoned lots is something we always do.”

 

San Pedro Residents Respond to DOE Official

On Wednesday, Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai stated that there is no dredging happening for the Cayo Rosario project, located on an island near San Pedro. This project, which has been in the works for several years, is controversial because it’s situated within the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Mai confirmed that the project has received all necessary environmental clearances so far. He also mentioned that if the developer wants to dredge, they can go ahead since the project has met all requirements. However, today, tour guide Oscar Iboy and U.D.P Senator Abel Zetina expressed concerns that the project could have significant negative impacts on the environment.

 

                           Oscar Iboy

Oscar Iboy, San Pedro Tour Guide

“He said that we, the people of San Pedro are misinformed concerning the dreading and development that’s going on at Cayo Rosario and I wanted to send back these words to him when he said “misinformed.” We, the people out here in San Pedro are the ones watching and seeing the excavation that’s going on, and I don’t know what he means by they’re not doing any dredging, but they are piling posts. That is the same thing. I don’t know what’s the difference that makes – dredging and piling a post. You still have to dredge to pile a post – and saying that these people have permits to do these things. One of the things is that that’s only one of the problems we have. We have another problem with the destruction of our mangroves, the filling up of our lagoons.”

 

                 Abel Zetina

Abel Zetina, U.D.P. Senator

“I think it’s ridiculous, man. We clearly went there. We saw that dredging is happening. In fact, they are building land where there wasn’t land just a couple months back. And it’s being filled with the same sand, with dredging that’s happening there. And we saw that with our own two eyes. We went there yesterday – actually it was the day before and so that is happening. We’re not opposed to development. I want to make that absolutely clear – not opposed to development, but it needs to be done in an environmentally conscious manner.”

Concerned Residents Protest Cayo Rosario Project Again

On Tuesday, environmentalists and concerned residents of San Pedro protested the Cayo Rosario Project. This large-scale development is planned for one of the islands near San Pedro, right within the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which has everyone worried. Oceana Belize, along with the residents and environmentalists, is calling for stronger protection of the country’s marine ecosystems, highlighting their crucial role in both the environment and the economy. In a statement on Facebook, Oceana Belize emphasized the growing threats to Belize’s marine resources, which are essential for the tourism and fishing industries that many communities rely on. Although the project underwent an Environmental Impact Assessment a few years ago, Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai reassured everyone that the developers have met all environmental requirements so far and clarified that no dredging has started yet.

 

On the Phone: Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, D.O.E.

“There was a protest done, yes, but the protest was because people are misinformed. First and foremost, people believe that they were doing excavation or dredging, which they were not and so they were saying that the dredging was illegal, which again, if they do it according to the E.C.P. it’s not illegal. So the current activity is not illegal. They do have permits to do that. The dredging component, if they use the proper – if they dredge following the proper method, it won’t be legal as well because they do have clearance to dredge. The biggest issue, Miss Ali in relation to this project, back then around 2017 was in relation to the fly-fishing area. Apparently, the area is a very good area for fly fishing and so they had some concerns in relation to that because the project does have, I think about 40 over-water structures that has been approved for that island. So, the project received environment clearance in 2018 after they signed onto an Environmental Compliance Plan. Since 2018, the E.C.P has been modified just slightly, not anything significant and some development has occurred slightly. And then they were doing more background information, finalizing the architectural plans, working with C.B.A. to get C.B.A.’s approval, working with the Mining Unit to get permit to the dredge et cetera. So the project now is moving forward with creating the first tier, and I think they had requested permission to build model homes, just some of the buildings, to demonstrate to the public what the development is all about. So they’re currently on site, or they were on site yesterday with a barge and an excavator. They were installing piles for the pier, so they were not excavating, they were not dredging and they’re not doing any of that. And so the D.O.E. did respond along with personnel from the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and we observed that the activities on site is permissible under the current E.C.P.”

 

Mai said the D.O.E will have a meeting shortly, including with its San Pedro office to  develop a monitoring program for the project to oversee it as it progresses. News Five also reached out to Minister of the Blue Economy, Andre Perez, who is the Area Representative for Belize Rural South. He indicated that the entire Cayo Rosario project is now being dealt with fully by all relevant government departments and that a meeting is set for Monday to further discuss the project and to review all the documents pertaining to the development of Cayo Rosario

 

Consumer Confidence Falls; Cost of Living Up in February

The Statistical Institute of Belize reported that the Consumer Confidence Index for February 2025 showed a drop in confidence among Belizean households. This indicates that people were generally feeling pessimistic about their economic future. The index fell from a little over fifty in January to forty-six in February, marking an eight point nine percent decrease in consumer confidence. The Consumer Confidence Index measures how optimistic or pessimistic consumers are about their financial situation over the next year. Interestingly, the S.I.B. also noted that the cost of living increased in February compared to the same time last year. News Five’s Marion Ali delves into the latest data shared by the SIB today.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

In the first two months of 2025, the cost of living went up by 1.9%. In February alone, it increased by 1.6% compared to February 2024. The Consumer Price Index from the Statistical Institute of Belize highlighted that the biggest contributors to this rise were the costs of food and non-alcoholic drinks, housing, utilities, and fuel. Statistician Jefte Ochaeta provided the details.

 

                       Jefte Ochaeta

Jefte Ochaeta, Statistician, S.I.B.

“Under the food and non-alcoholic beverages, we saw that there was an increase of 2.4% and this was mainly driven by an increase of 12.8% in the prices of fruits and nuts as we observed them several fruits increasing significantly, like watermelon, limes, and pineapple cereal products also experienced an increase of 3% as we saw increase in the price of white bread, biscuits, and pasta products. The beverages components of the food and alcoholic beverages also increased with increases throughout the categories, like fruits and vegetable juices by 15.4%, where we experience increases in all the drinks like natural orange juice increasing by 25.3%, fruit drinks, powdered drinks, and also in purified water and soft drinks. In the housing and electricity and water and gas and other fuels. We also saw an increase of 2.4%, and this was mainly attributed to an increase in rent of 2.5% for the period, an increase in 6% of LPG in natural gas butane.”

 

Interestingly, the Consumer Confidence Index showed a drop in confidence among Belizean households in February. This means people were generally feeling pessimistic about their economic future. The index fell from 50.5 in January to 46 in February. The Consumer Confidence Index measures how optimistic or pessimistic consumers are about their finances over the next year. Statistician Jacqueline Sabal explained that the S.I.B. surveyed 1,200 households to determine this, with the index ranging from 0 (completely pessimistic) to 100 (completely optimistic).

 

                   Jacqueline Sabal

Jacqueline Sabal, Statistician, S.I.B.

“The idea behind the CCI is that economic uncertainly or a decline in consumer confidence creates pessimism and reduces desires to spend, while economic optimism encourages consumer confidence and a willingness to make significant purchases and other debt commitments. For the month of February 2025, the consumer confidence index stood at forty-six. This represents a decrease of eight-point nine percent from January 2025, when the index stood at fifty-point five.”

 

Although the SIB can’t pinpoint why people feel the way they do about spending, Director General Diana Castillo noted that they’ve observed a general improvement in how consumers feel.

 

                Diana Castillo

Diana Castillo, Director General, S.I.B.

“T here has been a general improvement in consumer sentiment. People have been getting less and less pessimistic. And in January, we actually crossed the threshold into optimistic. In February now we saw a slight reversion back to below 50 to pessimistic territory. The general trend has been upwards, but I can’t really say why people feel the way they feel. This just captures how they feel.”

 

At SIB’s first presentation of 2025, they shared data on the GDP growth for the fourth quarter of 2024, revealing that the economy grew by 7.1%. Statistician Christopher Hulse presented these findings.

 

                       Christopher Hulse

Christopher Hulse, Statistician, S.I.B

“Goods and services produced in the first quarter of 20024 totaled one point four, three billion dollars. This is an increase of ninety-four point four, nine million dollars 0r seven point one percent when we compare it to the fourth quarter of 2023 which, was at one point three, three billion dollars. Looking at the one point four, three billion, we can see how that is spread across the three sectors with taxes. Primary contributed a hundred and fifty-seven point eight million out of that one point four, three billion. Then secondary – a hundred and seventy point three million. Tertiary – nine hundred and seven point two million, and then taxes – a hundred and ninety point two million.”

 

Ronald Orellana shared that Belize did better in the first two months of this year in terms of Merchandise Trade Statistics, which track our imports and exports over the past two months.

 

                Ronald Orellana

Ronald Orellana, Statistician, S.I.B.

“Starting with the merchandise imports, we have a line graph showing how imports have performed over the past ten years for the first two months of January and February, despite a current decrease in imports when compared to 2024, imports have been on an upward trend since 2021. The total merchandise imports for the first two months of the year amounted to four hundred and sixty-one million dollars, down seven-point eight percent or thirty-eight point eight million dollars when compared to imports for the first two months in 2024. In general, exports have been on a downward trend with notable fluctuations seen across most of these years. The total domestic exports for the first tow months of 2025 amounted to forty point four million, representing a growth of seven point seven percent or three million when compared to the same period in 2024.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.

Abandoned Building Erupts in Flames, Firefighters Concerned

All that’s left of the building that once stood at the corner of Castle and Victoria streets in Belize City is a pile of ash after an early morning fire. Authorities say the two-story wooden structure was abandoned and didn’t have electricity. Thankfully, the National Fire Service responded quickly and managed to contain the blaze. Belize District Station Officer Gladstone Bucknor reported that no injuries were observed, but the investigation is still ongoing. Here’s more on that.

 

                   Gladstone Bucknor

Gladstone Bucknor, Station Officer, Belize District

“Approximately about five fifty this morning, the National Fire Service received call about a structural fire at the corner of Castle and Victoria Street when the guys did arrive both stations responded to that scene. They saw a large house fire.  When large, I mean it’s a two-story structure, wooden structure in roofing. That building is an abandoned building and didn’t have electricity, let me make that clear. Didn’t have electricity at it, so the fire had to be started from inside and brought to the inside.”

 

Reporter

“What do you believe started the fire?”

 

Gladstone Bucknor

“At this moment we cannot see what actually started the fire, but however, some type of heat had to be introduced into the area.” 

 

Reporter

“Do you believe that while it was abandoned there were maybe people, is there an evidence of people staying or doing something in there?”

 

Gladstone Bucknor

“Alright, from our preliminary investigation, what we discovered was that they do have squatters in and out of the building. And one main person that was frequently at this, at the house was somebody by the name of Harold. Name as full name and detail as there, we don’t know the full name. We have conflicting information that yes, he was there and no he wasn’t there. So we still looking into it. Actually, part of the investigation, we learned that some kind of heat was injured last night between nine and nine and eleven.  So we’re still doing an investigation on.”

 

Reporter

“You wanted to speak about the issue of these abandoned lots and the, to the council, not, taking care of that.”

 

Gladstone Bucknor

“Yes. Within that area we have a lot of abandoned building. Some are neglected and used for criminal. And we have this abandoned building like this around the neighborhood. It pose a fire hazard to the rest of the community, especially to other buildings as well. Because anything do occur. Imagine somebody lost their building due to an abandoned building.”

Valley of Peace SDA Students Paint Murals Against Pollution

This morning, in Cayo District, students from the Valley of Peace Seventh Day Adventist Academy participated in a Youth Climate Action Bus Stop Painting competition in their village. Over the past two weeks, these dedicated youths have given up their weekends and free time to create vibrant murals and anti-pollution messages on three bus stops. The initiative is supported by the British High Commission’s office, which has provided experiential prizes, and the Belize Maya Forest Trust, which is collaborating with the students on various environmental protection projects. News Five’s Marion Ali was on the scene and filed this report.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

While crime often grabs the headlines, the students at Valley of Peace Seventh Day Adventist Academy are quietly making a difference by prioritizing the environment. For the past several weeks, these dedicated youths have sacrificed their free time to paint vibrant murals and anti-pollution messages on three bus stops. It’s their unique way of voicing their concerns and making a positive impact in their community.

 

                    Gabreal Col

Gabreal Col, Student, Valley of Peace S.D.A. Academy

“There is a part that has forest fires and a lot of animals running away from those fires. We know that Valley of Peace is surrounded by industries and we do not come and see those animals anymore.”

 

                     Dalila Molina

Dalila Molina, Student, Valley of Peace S.D.A. Academy

“If you put fires, you should check them so it doesn’t spread; don’t leave glass or things like that because when the sun is too hot, it like reflects and it makes and it causes fire then.”

 

Marion Ali

Or lit cigarette.

 

Dalila Molina

“Yes. That’s, that’s one.”

 

Gabreal Col and Dalila Molina shared that their group’s murals highlight the serious impact human actions can have on wildlife and the environment. They pointed out that reckless behaviors, like causing forest fires, can displace or even kill wildlife, throwing the food chain off balance. This disruption can eventually affect humans too, as we rely on the forest for food. Their artwork also illustrates the harmful effects of water and air pollution on various forms of life. The competition, promoted by the Belize Maya Forest Trust and led by Dr. Elma Kay, emphasizes the importance of instilling good environmental practices from a young age.

 

                        Elma Kay

Dr. Elma Kay, Managing Director, Belize Maya Forest Trust

“We are looking at a project that. Is looking at empowering young voices for speaking up about climate change. The theme is really, you know, speak up, inspire, and make a difference. And it is about promoting those young voices. This is in partnership with the British High Commission. And so the students have come up with a diversity of activities and projects. Yesterday we had a cleanup in the community, and today is the bus stop competition.”

 

Co-sponsors, the British High Commission’s Office, represented to by Deputy British High Commissioner, Robert Ower.

 

               Robert Ower

Robert Ower, Deputy British High Commissioner to Belize

“We’re keen to empower youth. These are the future leaders, so it’s very important that we instill these environmental behaviors in them at a young age, and then they can then lead future generations and be environmentally aligned. So we see this as an excellent initiative. It’s making people think.”

 

School principal, Justine Myvett explained that the school really just encouraged the students with ideas they already had to get the message across.

 

                Justine Myvett

Justine Myvett, Principal, Valley of Peace S.D.A. Academy

“The kids were talking to us about the idea of doing a project here in the community, and we decided to try at art expression for youths. It’s very powerful. It’s a way to show different persons of the community that the students are feeling the various. Impacts of climate change and they are concerned about their future.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.

Grants, Big Impact To Protected Area System  

A generous hundred-thousand-dollar investment from the Belize Nature Conservation Foundation (BNCF) is set to boost enforcement across four protected areas in Belize. At today’s annual grant award ceremony, two conservation NGOs were each awarded fifty thousand dollars. The lucky Small recipients were the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development. Both organizations plan to use the funds to enhance monitoring and enforcement within their protected areas. News Five’s Paul Lopez has a full story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Today, the Belize Nature Conservation Foundation (BNCF) awarded a total of one hundred thousand dollars in grant funding to two conservation organizations. The first recipient is the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, a unique organization that blends tourism and conservation across three thousand acres of protected forest land. With accommodation for up to two hundred guests and a variety of tour offerings, the revenue generated is reinvested into environmental education, community outreach, and habitat management.

 

                          Eli Miller

Eli Miller, Managing Director, Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

“We are managers of two protected areas within the Maya Forest Corridor and we take that responsibility very seriously in terms of enforcement. A lot of the rules were not being respected. So, we are trying to bring that park back from one that tis being respected to being enjoyed by the general public.”

 

This funding will boost their management efforts by enhancing enforcement across the sanctuary and Monkey Bay National Park. The Maya Forest Corridor, located north of the sanctuary, is rapidly being deforested for monocrop expansion. To ensure that the natural habitat in these areas remains a haven for wildlife in the future, enforcement and education are crucial.

 

Eli Miller

“What we are trying to do at Monkey Bay is not directly stop that deforestation, the march of development is almost unstoppable, but we are trying to mitigate the impacts that development has. What we are going to do with this project is acquire a ATV to allow the rapid deployment of the park ranger team to combat illegal infractions, incursions, and also wildfires or whatever the need might be within the corridor for our partners and buffering communities.”

 

The Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development also received a generous fifty thousand dollars in grant funding from the Belize Nature Conservation Foundation. Like the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, the alliance is dedicated to research, monitoring, enforcement, and education. However, their primary focus is on Belize’s marine resources, particularly within the expansive seventy-two-thousand-hectare Corozal Wildlife Sanctuary and Bacalar Chico National Park. This fifty-thousand-dollar grant will help establish a permanent enforcement presence within the national park, ensuring these precious marine areas are protected for the future.

 

                      Samuel Barrett

Samuel Barrett, Development Director, Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development

“We are now at a point where we will be launching a permanent presence by stationing a team of rangers on rolling shift patterns so that we have three hundred and sixty-five days presence within the national park.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What is the biggest threat to the park?”

 

Samuel Barrett

“In collaboration with the stakeholders, their biggest concern is illegal hunting and extraction of forest products like bush sticks, royal palms form the protected areas that are being used in the development of resorts and thinks within northern San Pedro.”

 

Leonardo Chavarria, Chairman of the Belize Nature Conservation Foundation, explains that conservation organizations are chosen to receive these grants through a thorough application process. Applications are carefully vetted and approved if they align with the foundation’s objectives. The Belize Nature Conservation Foundation oversees the annual conservation grant funding provided through the Blue Bond.

 

                Leonardo Chavarria

Leonardo Chavarria, Chairman, BNCF

“Coming from a conservation organization myself, I am from TIDE, so we know the true meaning of small grant. We know the impact these grants can have. So, for me it was specially rewarding and a privilege to be here, because it was a moment we have to actually share, but share in terms of creating a meaningful future impact for the National Protected Area System.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

 

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