With the ongoing attempt to block the Carnival Cruise Tourism Terminal that the government of Belize has taken on the public relations for, right now the BTIA is probably the last group government wants to hear a recommendation from. But that's just what gob has now, and it's just in time for the next cabinet meeting on January 4th. The recommendation provides an alternate proposal for the barrier reef management, and within that the operations of the nearly defunct Coastal Zone Management Agency. The proposal details a plan that would provide an inclusive, self-sufficient model to take the place of the current proposal which would have the reef leased out to a private development, owned by businessmen David Courtenay and David Gegg. But the BTIA proposal takes it in the other direction, away form private control and investment. BTIA's executive director Andrew Godoy explains how this plan differs fundamentally from the current proposal.
Andrew Godoy, Exec. Dir. BTIA
"Our belief at BTIA is that the barrier reef is our national heritage and it should not be subsumed or given to any investor or anybody for that matter to use for commercial venture. BTIA has developed our proposal and basically our proposal is a strengthening of the Coastal Zone Management Authority so they could actually carry out the monitoring and management as their mandate so stipulates. It is different from the private proposal in that our recommendations, our proposals, basically lay out 5 recommendations. These are our recommendations for the strengthening of the coastal Zone so that they could take over their role as the agency mandated to protect and monitor our natural resources."
Alfonso Noble,
If your proposal does go through, it will mean that BTIA will in fact be benefiting and maybe the cruise tourism will not and we know there are axes to grind in those areas. Your response to that?
Andrew Godoy,
"My response to that is that the whole purpose of our proposal is to put the whole ball in the hands of the Coastal Zone Authority which will be responsible for managing and monitoring the reef system and the marine areas. On the board of directors, BTIA now will only hold a seat on that board but its not like we will go out there and manage and manipulate how the functions of the CZMAI is carried out."
It is noteworthy that a similar proposal had been made by the CZMAI in March.
