It's a small caye just off Belize City, but while Swallow Caye may not take up much space, it holds great value as a tourist attraction. The area is inhabited by a wide variety of sea and land animals, among those is the endangered Antillian Manattee. For a number of years one man has been single handedly lobbying for the declaration of Swallow Caye as a natural reserve. Today,, Manuel "Chocolate" Heredia's dream, turned into reality as the area was declared a reserve.
Alfonso Noble reporting,
For the past 18 years, 73 year old Manuel "chocolate" Heredia has been lobbying for the transformation of Swallow Caye into a protected area. Today as he witnessed ceremonies to make it so, he welled up with tears, incredulous at the sight:
Manuel "Chocolate" Heredia - Founder: Friends of Swallow Caye
I will lie now if I tell you that I had in mind that one day this would happen. After 18 years, no way, never.It is very, very hard to describe my feeling that I have right now. At the same time I look on all my fellow Belizeans and all the people who helped me to create this day of victory for myself, probably I am one of very few Belizeans that ever spends so many years for the victory of Belize.
Hon. Johnny Briceno - Minister of Natural Resources
People like "choclolate", Mr. Heredia and his group felt that if we can protect that area we can still benefit because of the increase in tourism that we have - especially cruise ship visitors so that they can quickly get these people to visit this area and enjoy the wildlife in the area. So, it's not a matter of just sterilizing an area but also by protecting it we can put it to good use where our people, the tour guides, can benefit from it financially.
Alfonso Noble
But tour guides are not the only stakeholders here, serious consideration had to be given to fishermen who use the waters around Swallow Caye to ensure that they were included in the negotiations.
Hon. Johnny Briceno
I can understand the plight of the fishermen that as we go declaring more marine reserves they are feeling left out or marginalized. So it was important for us to bring them in so they were part of the process and we finally got their agreement in supporting the declaration of this wildlife sanctuary.
Alfonso Noble
Now that the 8,970 acres in and around Swallow Caye have been designated as a natural reserve, the task now is to develop an inclusive management plan, so that all involved benefit from its transformation from a thoroughfare to a "silent zone."
Hon. Johnny Briceno
In the management plan we have several things we look for: one is how is that they are going to be patrolling the area; two, how is it that we are going to manage the area to ensure that we do not destroy it; and three, also how is it that we can create some benefits. Also because its not only tourism but research.
Manuel Heredia
I want to show the other parts of Belize that you have to have limitations and respect for what? For the other generation, because if you no have no respect and no control into part, they will go just like the other places. I no wah no Belizean feel anyway that because I did it. I did it for my country. I no did it for myself, I did it for my country because my country, I always look back of me and see my grandchildren.
Alfonso Noble
And as it is right now, those grandchildren are looking at some 42 point 7 percent of Belizean territory under reserve. But with an increased demand on land for human habitation, agricultural purposes and fishing, Briceno says it is time to look back and take stock of those reserves.
Hon. Johnny Briceno
That is a concern from the ordinary Belizean, how much more can we go. But we need to look at it from a different vantage. It's not a matter of how much we need to go but what we need to protect, because now there is also the argument that there are certain areas that were protected that were not necessarily important to protect. So we may need to re-visit some of those areas. There are some areas that were protected where there are excellent agricultural lands. Maybe we might have to look at it and say maybe we may have to open up that area and protect some other area that is more important for protection. So certainly it's a balancing act.It is of no use to boast that we have so much areas under protection yet our people do not find an alternative to make a way of life.
Alfonso Noble
Heredia says Friends of Swallow Caye, the organization managing the reserve, will propose one area for entering and another for exiting the reserve as well as placing a wharf where the manatees can be viewed from land.