University of South Florida

The island of Ambergris Caye has experienced significant development over the years with minimal input from the science and engineering community, particularly concerning coastal infrastructure. The negative impacts of climate change can be seen in the continuous erosion that is taking a toll on the beaches of Belize’s prime tourism destination.  A recent visit by a group of scientists indicated that many of the efforts to protect the shoreline are instead causing more harm and aggravating the erosion issue. As a result, local stakeholders discussed nature-based solutions, including Mayor Gualberto ‘Wally’ Nuñez, intending to look at the entire shoreline and address the problems for the benefit of the island community.

The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) announced on Monday, May 9th, that it is seeking to hire temporary beach cleaners to keep these areas free of sargassum. Any person interested can visit the Human Resources department at the SPTC during regular working hours, Monday to Friday, 8AM to 5PM. SPTC will also be holding a Sargassum Community Meeting on Wednesday, May 11th, at 5PM in the SPTC Conference Room. Business owners, boat owners, property owners, and residents of San Pedro are invited.

Courtenay is available for appointments in San Pedro Town on Fridays. If you are interested in professional mental health counseling, she can be contacted via cell phone at 670-6080 or email at [email protected]. As to privacy, Courtenay says, “I do everything I can to protect my client’s confidentiality, which is why I don’t publish the location of my office on the island.