Environment

With the change in weather and the windy days associated with this time of the year, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, and other parts of the country are beginning to experience the constant influx of Sargassum seaweed. The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has started working with experts to find ways to keep the downtown beaches free of the brown seaweed. A temporary Sargassum barrier has been installed between the Mayan Princess Hotel beach and the municipal dock near Central Park. This mechanism is to facilitate the removal of Sargassum.

On February 10, 2023, the Ministry of Economic Development launched Belize’s first-ever Green Climate Fund Country Programme at the Umaya Resort in Placencia. This country programme highlights Belize’s climate priorities and outlines a portfolio of projects and programs that will aid the country in achieving climate resilience.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management is hosting the Joint Annual Meeting of the Initiative 20x20, Bonn Challenge, and the Agriculture, Forest, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) 2040 in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, from February 8 to 9, 2023.

The return of sargassum to the shores of Ambergris Caye is once again a challenge. One of the reasons speculated for the increase is the windier days. According to the National Meteorological Service of Belize, moderate easterly airflow exists, blowing the seaweed to shore. Recent studies by the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Laboratory show that the overall sargassum quantity in the Atlantic Ocean doubled from December to January (8.7 million tons), again setting a record previously observed in January, noting 6.5 million tons in 2018.

The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) is embarking on a recycling project to rid the town of plastic bottles. The project is being led by Councilor Johnnia Duarte, whose portfolio includes Environment and Climate Change, and will see bottle-collecting stations in the shape of sea creatures. The first of these, a sea star, is at the central park, where everyone is encouraged to drop their plastic bottles in it.

The Ministry of Economic Development (MED), Belize’s National Designated Authority (NDA) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Climate Finance Unit (CFU), are proud to announce that the GCF has approved a Project Preparation Facility (PPF) application for a project titled, “Integrated Flood Management in the Upper Regions of the Belize River Watershed.”

In October 2022, the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) began a beach restoration demonstration at a Boca del Rio beach section. The project is said to be aiding in improving the erosion problem affecting the island's beaches. The project has now produced a second demonstration site between the Mayan Princess Hotel and Central Park, where the effects of erosion are eliminating the beach.

On December 20th, 2022, Tuesday, December 20th, 2022, the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI), in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), revealed the logo for Belize’s Marine Spatial Planning process, during a live Facebook event. Previously, in September of this year, through an electronic voting poll hosted on the CZMAI’s Facebook page, the Belizean public selected the “Belize Sustainable Ocean Plan” (BSOP) as a fitting name for Belize’s Marine Spatial Plan. On Tuesday, December 13th, 2022, the public was once again invited to participate in creating a distinctive brand for this all-important planning process by selecting a unique and memorable logo that aptly reflects the purpose of the BSOP.