Mangrove Clearing Costs Property Owner $10,000

A patch of mangroves measuring less than a quarter-acre has resulted in a ten-thousand-dollar settlement and a broader warning for developers across the country. The Forest Department says Sanju Lal Chulani agreed to the out-of-court payment after investigators found that red mangroves had been altered without a permit at a property near Mile Six-and-a-Half on the Philip Goldson Highway. Officials inspected the property on September seventeenth following concerns about land-clearing activities. They later confirmed that the required authorization had not been secured before the mangroves were disturbed. The case was settled on September thirtieth. While Chulani will pay ten thousand dollars, the offence could have carried a fine of up to twenty-five thousand dollars, as much as one year in prison, or both. The Forest Department says mangroves provide critical protection for Belize’s shoreline and serve as important habitats for wildlife and fisheries. It is now putting landowners, contractors and developers on notice that inspections will continue and unauthorized clearing could trigger further enforcement action.

 

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