Seaweed Crisis Prompts Emergency Grant for Belize

You’ve seen it, you’ve smelled, and if you live in any of Belize’s coastal communities, you’ve endured it. Sargassum is the pesky brown plant that has been invading Belize’s shores for months and its quickly become a national emergency. This year, Belize’s coastline is under siege by an overwhelming wave of seaweed, and no matter how fast crews clean it up, it just keeps coming back. The massive buildup is an eyesore; it’s also disrupting the lives of coastal residents, hurting tourism businesses, and threatening our precious marine environment. To help tackle the issue, the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future is handing over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the Belize Hotel Association and the Belize Tourism and Industries Association as a part of the Emergency Response Grant. News Five’s Britney Gordon has more details on the agreement that was finalized today.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

You can’t miss it, Belize’s sargassum problem is bigger than ever. Miles of the brown seaweed blanket our coastline, releasing foul-smelling gases and suffocating marine life. Cleaning it up isn’t cheap either. Businesses are spending thousands on equipment and manpower, all while tourism numbers take a hit. That’s why the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future has stepped in with an emergency response grant to help tackle the cleanup and ease the burden.

 

Leandra Cho-Ricketts, Executive Director, Belize Fund

“This is really a national challenge or a national emergency that needed to be addressed and the board entire board agreed that it is important. And we had recently finalized our emergency response grants window. And so the discussion and the decision was that then the fund would look at engaging with the blue economy, with the Ministry of Tourism also to see how they can help support and provide some relief to this issue. And it is, as we’ve all heard, it’s here for as long as we are facing these challenges globally. And so the fund beyond this support will we’ll be looking at mechanisms to continue to provide some support.”

 

The Belize Fund has allocated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the cleanup relief efforts. Through a new partnership with the Belize Tourism and Industry Association and the Belize Hotels Association to help distribute the funds. The associations are calling on businesses in impacted areas in San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia, Hopkins, Seine Bight and other offshore islands to apply for the grant of up to five thousand dollars. Executive Director of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, Linette Canto, explains the process.

 

Linette Canto, Executive Director, Belize Tourism Industry Association

“You don’t have to be a member of any of the two organizations to be able to get this support. The criteria is that you need to be along the coastline. ou need to be an a business, an enter enterprise that is already trying to fight the sargassum situation. So we have a list of criteria that we’re looking at. We’re going to be opening the application process as soon as this event has concluded, and people will be able to go online, view the flyers, see what the criteria is. We already have the application forms as a part of the flyer, so if you believe that you would be qualifying for the grant, then you can go ahead and start applying.”

 

Both organizations will be reviewing the applications to make sure that the criteria are met before the funds are dispersed. Applicants are only permitted one grant and cannot apply to both organizations. Reynaldo Malik, President of the Belize Hotel Association explains how grant recipients can utilize the funds they receive.

 

Reynaldo Malik, President, Belize Hotel Association

“We foresee that the primary tool in every resort toolbox right now is human capital. Once it gets to shore there, yes, there are a bunch of technologies out there, beach rakes. Turtles, all sorts of stuff that can be implemented. But once it gets to shore and it locks up onto that beach, then your primary resource is going to be human resource. So we anticipate that the vast majority of the applications are gonna be focused on using the grant money to fund extra labor that they’re having to bring in right now. And then a smaller quantitative are probably going to buy or put it towards buying some equipment. You, even with the human resource, you do need things like wheelbarrows and proper rakes.”

 

Since 2011, sargassum has been washing up on Belize’s shores, but this year, the invasion is on another level. Crews clear it away, and before you know it, it’s back, even worse than before. And this isn’t just about ugly beaches, it’s a health risk and a serious threat to marine life. The new relief effort isn’t a permanent fix, but it’s a big first step toward long-term action. Britney Gordon for News Five.