In Friday night's news, we gave you a peek into a visitor and research center that's been opened on Hunting Caye in the Sapodilla Caye range. It'll be used by the Belizean Fisheries Department as well as regional researchers concerned with the sustainable use of the area's natural resources. But really, who will be doing what at Hunting Caye, and why? That's what Alfonso Noble went south to find out.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
The Sapodilla Caye range in the southernmost waters of Belize boasts some of the most scenic and biologically diverse environments in the region. But because of it's proximity to both Honduras and Guatemala, there's always concern that visitors from those countries are putting too much stress on those fragile systems. And that's where this structure comes in. It is a $400,000 wood and concrete building.
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"This building is going to help in many ways. It's going to help the Fisheries Department to be able to better monitor this area. We know we have a BDF Camp right next door, because its right near the border with Guatemala and Honduras so it's going to be assisting that way. It's going to be helping scientists that want to come and research in the area, we are going to housing them here. Students, for instance the University of Belize also has a campus here. Students can come here, visitors who have nowhere to stay can stay here. So that $400,000 can be properly justified in assisting us, assisting the government, in assisting the Fisheries Department and the NGOs in protecting this wonderful area, this beautiful marine reserve that we have in place."
Noel Jacobs the regional director of the funding agency, the Meso American Barrier Reef System project, says that having the building here at Hunting Caye on the Sapodilla Range fits into the projects main focus.
Noel Jacobs,
"This building constitutes one of the primary infrastructure needs that each protected area in this country should have. Obviously we can't afford to do this for all protected areas but because the project has a transformed focus, we had to prioritize doing it in transformed protected areas and that is why in 2003 we also did one like this in Bacalar Chico which is in the in Northern transformed area. This building well have a interpretation area, a small meeting room, for visitors to come and see inside the building an interpretation of what is this area to offer."
Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator
"The building is also opened to researchers who work in conjunction with Fisheries Department to carry out research in the marine reserve which helps us determine what is the status of ecosystems and how well the populations are doing in the area and also demographic research on users of the area. Also the facilities in all our marine reserves are opened to students and to educational facilities, as well. We are currently looking at working closely with UB, who is looking at providing a facility out here."
And the construction of this building means that there'll be greater presence, stronger management and greater vigilance to safeguard the systems
Noel Jacobs,
"We need to strengthen the management capabilities of the protected area and this is how we do it. These parks have essentially no management in the absence of infrastructure, the boats, the equipment, the training, the personnel and the financing. So it is a big management support package. These very visible things can be very easily measured but the impact of this can only be measured in the future. We'll have to determine to what extent all the support we receive has had an impact on the efficiency of the management of the protected areas in the future."
Hopefully that will mean that this new building will help in lessening the impacts on this magnificently scenic and enticing portion of Belize.
The project was funded by the MBRS project which is a regional initiative and it cost $400,000.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift
