The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations – known as APAMO - has taken a strong position on the UNESCO report which proposes to put Belize’s barrier reef systems on the list of world heritage sites “in danger.” Both Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the Natural Resources Minister Gaspar Vega have commented in very broad and non specific terms about what needs to be done to remedy the situation.
But today in a letter to both PM Barrow and Deputy Vega, APAMO proposed specific and decisive actions they could take. The first would be to “cancel all land leases and titles granted within the World Heritage site after 1996 and place a permanent moratorium on the sale and lease of lands in the property.” The second would be to place a permanent moratorium on all mangrove dredging within the entire site. Other proposals include developing and adopting management protocols for the sites. APAMO also urges government to publish a list of all leases and titles issued within the world heritage sites along with the purchase price.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is meeting in Spain this week to consider Belize’s status along with those of many other countries.
