Conservation

The Department hereby reminds the PUBLIC that in accordance with Regulation 10 of Statutory Instrument No. 66 of 2002, under the Fisheries Resources Act No. 7 of 2020:• No person shall fish for in the waters of Belize or buy, sell, or have in possession any turtle of the following species: a) Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill Turtle) b) Caretta caretta (Loggerhead Turtle) c) Chelonia mydas (Green Turtle) d) Dermochelys coriacea (Leatherback Turtles)

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development’s Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ESC), will on Wednesday, November 18, bring the curtains down on the Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP) - a four-year initiative that benefited nine States in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.

The GOB has taken a significant step in strengthening marine conservation by putting an end to gillnet fishing in Belizean waters on November 6th.

In a demonstration of commitment to maintain a vibrant and sustainable fishery sector, Dr. Hon. Omar Figueroa, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development, has signed into law Statutory Instrument No. 158 of 2020 titled Fisheries Resources (Gill net prohibition) Regulations, 2020, banning the use and possession of gill nets in the marine waters of Belize. The area covered by the ban includes all the sea under the jurisdiction of Belize.

After HCMR confirmed that the parcels are within the reserve’s Zone C, the Commissioner of Lands stated that they would retract the survey entries.

National Wavemaker of the Year Carina Paz has had a lifelong love affair with the sea, and she is a staunch advocate for its protection.

The UK, working with co-hosts Belize and Fiji, has brought together Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in a virtual roundtable to broker better access to finance and identify solutions for a resilient recovery from coronavirus. Small island states are on the frontline of climate change and are already bearing the brunt of its impacts. They have a high vulnerability to natural disasters, and will suffer as sea levels rise and fragile ecosystems and biodiversity come under threat. They also face significant challenges for employment, government revenues, and export income, most acutely from tourism and remittances which are highly vulnerable to economic shocks and climate change. The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated these issues, putting more pressure on small island’s finances and diverting resources from ongoing work to protect against natural disasters and climate change. The conference aimed to find practical recommendations for improving access to concessional finance to support continued progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

In order to preserve the Chiquibul-Mountain Pine Ridge-Caracol Complex's (CMCC) invaluable ecosystems and the benefits they provide to the people of Belize, the Economic Development Council (EDC) through its Technical Secretariat, the Public-Private Desk in the Office of the Prime Minister, has successfully launched a Sustainable Development Plan for the Chiquibul-Mountain Pine Ridge-Caracol Complex. The 15-year Sustainable Development Plan will serve as the Government of Belize’s reference master plan for balanced, environmentally-conscious resource use in this region.