Last week, the Belize Maya Forest Project got major coverage in the local news. That's after the Leader of Government Business in the Senate Eamon Courtenay blasted the agreement between the Barrow Administration and the Nature Conservancy, signed in October of last year.
Courtenay said the last administration was wrong for agreeing to write off 50 years of taxes, in exchange for turning 260 thousand acres of private land into a protected area. The UDP has since rebutted Courtenay's objections. They insist that the tax break is a small price to pay when compared to the conservation benefits, the eco-tourism possibilities, and the long-term preservation of cleaner air in Belize and the rest of Central America.
It took them a little while, but tonight, the Belize Network of NGOs is stepping forward to say that the TNC deal is a model for conservation, and not "nefarious", as Senator Courtenay described it in the Senate Budget Debate.
In a press release, they say, quote, "The Belize Network of NGOs strongly condemns the attempts of our elected and non-elected Government officials to malign the Belize Maya Forest project. The return of these lands to the Government and people of Belize will help to secure the health of our economy and the well-being of all Belizeans. The conservation of such areas will safeguard our water and food security and make us resilient to the impacts of climate change and even global pandemics. The Belize Maya Forest is yet another excellent example of the opportunities that we can capitalize on while using our natural resources wisely, safeguarding their long-term value to our water and food security. The BNN has and will continue to advocate for the kind of economic development that is well-planned, long-term, and sustainable." End quote.
They say that the 260 thousand acres on which the Belize Maya Forest sits, when added to the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area, provides coverage and possible protection of just over 50 percent of the Rio Hondo watershed. These areas also provide 25 percent of the New River watershed, and they serve 26 percent of the country's farmers. The Belize Maya Forest is also recognized as a key part of the tri-national Selva Maya Initiative and the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. We did try reach the Minister of sustainable development for a comment,
