Environment

A virtual symposium in observance of World Bee Day was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise on May 20, 2021.

The Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining is committed to taking important steps to manage the physical space in Belize. The ministry is mandated to safeguard methodical land development and benchmark progress in developing an accurate and reliable land administration system.

Students from Sittee River Methodist enjoyed an educational trip to Tobacco Caye in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve (SWCMR). ReefKeeper Belize, based on Tobacco Caye, is committed to spread environmental awareness and build strong partnerships within the stakeholder communities of the SWCMR. This trip is the third of several upcoming, weekend field trips in the ReefKeeper Ambassadors: Community Stewardship & Recycling Program, funded by GEF Small Grants Programme.

A group of island residents made it their task to clean up a popular beach area by Robles Point in northern Ambergris Caye filled with rubbish. Many of the discarded items are non-biodegradable and pose a threat to the delicate natural environment and the nesting grounds frequented by sea turtles each year. If this practice continues, it will tarnish the natural beauty of these beaches, and sea turtles may never return to nest. Persons visiting this area of the island need to do the right thing and not leave their garbage behind after picnicking.

Two major dredging projects that caused concerns last year in San Pedro Town remain inactive. One described as a sand reclamation project south of the island was authorized to operate until the end of 2020. According to reports from the Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR), dredging permits were not renewed after an alleged breach of their agreement with the government. Meanwhile, the second project happening on the north-western side of the island was unauthorized and within HCMR. This case is still in court pending a final verdict.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many aspects of our lives to a halt, but it certainly has not stifled the Department of the Environment’s (DOE) efforts in the long road to the restoration of the New River. Since the New River crisis came to light in mid-2019, the DOE has been continuously conducting water quality monitoring, monitoring industries and urban centers to ensure they are complying with the Environmental Laws of Belize and working in close collaboration with local authorities and the agricultural sector to implement actions to reduce runoff into the river. As it relates to compliance, 40 out of the 79 light industries in Orange Walk Town have improved their wastewater and greywater discharge from their facilities. The DOE has also ensured that ASR/BSI do their part by improving their wastewater treatment system and constructing cooling towers.

On the evening of April 19, 2021 the Belize Fisheries Department received reports of an Antillean Manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) washed ashore near Hopkins. Partners of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network were able to obtain assistance to take initial photographs of the dead manatee. Yesterday the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Research Institute, with assistance from the Hopkins community, were able to carry out a complete necropsy on the adult female who was pregnant with a fully developed fetus. The findings of the necropsy were consistent with blunt force trauma due to watercraft impact therefore the cause of death was ruled as a watercraft related incident.

As tourism slowly returns across Belize and San Pedro Town, the invasion of the macro-algae, Sargassum, is also making a comeback to our beaches. This is not good for regions dependent on tourism, and as Belize struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Sargassum represents another challenge. While hoteliers and the sanitation department of the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) remove as much as they can, massive mats of algae continue to wash ashore daily.