It’s over, government has given up on the deal to sell part of the Bacalar Chcico Reserve and World Heritage Site. It’s the end of what has been a week of intense pressure upon government. It all started last week Wednesday night on 7NEWS, Opposition Leader Dean Barrow exposed the bare details of a deal to sell of a piece of the Bacalar Chico Nature Reserve and World Heritage Site.
Since then, 7NEWS has learned and exposed the details of the deal and that opened up a firestorm of protest from conservation groups. And today, the government finally caved in to all that pressure. The first hint of a reversal came yesterday from Tourism Minister Godfrey Smith. He said it would be, “foolhardy” to de-reserve the site.
Today, after a visit to the Bacalar Chico area, Natural Resources Minister Florencio Marin went on Reef Radio in San Pedro Town to say that the government had decided not to proceed with the proposed deal. The Prime Minister hinted as much to us from yesterday when he explained that government had heard the voice of those opposing the sale, and would not proceed with it.
As for the down payment of a million dollars by the South Korean developer, the PM told us it’s in an escrow account and will be refunded. So that’s it, just like that, a deal nixed and another Cabinet decision reversed – the second one to be snuffed out by media and public pressure in a week which, all things considered, doesn’t seem to say much for strong or sound government.
Still, many conservationists argue the battle is far from over. First, they say that the damage to Belize’s reputation as a conservation minded country was done when government agreed to even considering selling part of a World Heritage Site. And second, there’s that list of 15 reserves that are being de-reserved or proposed for de-reservation. That’s what the conservation community is sticking to and building momentum with as it plans to go ahead with a protest against government next week Tuesday in Belmopan.
