Last week, the Belize Maya Forest Project made headlines after the PUP government put the deal on blast in the National Assembly.
As viewers are aware, the former Government signed an agreement with the Washington-based Nature Conservancy to waive 50 years of land taxes and stamp duties on a massive land purchase. In exchange, TNC committed to buying 260,000 acres of land from private landowners, so that the forest canopy covering it could be turned into a protected area.
Representatives of the government used words like "nefarious", a "high crime", and "outrageous giveaway" to describe the tax break contemplated in this agreement because the country is currently in the throes of a financial crisis. Several days later, the Opposition UDP stepped forward to defend the deal. They insisted that the tax break is a small price to pay in exchange for the conservation benefits, the eco-tourism possibilities, and the long-term preservation of cleaner air in Belize and the rest of Central America.
The Belize Network of NGOs spoke up a few days later to reiterate that in their opinion, the project was unfairly maligned.
On Wednesday night, Dr. Elma Kay, the secretary of the Belize Network of NGOs, appeared on Uncut. Here's how she explained it when host Jules Vasquez asked about the pros and cons:
Jules Vasquez, Host
"You intrinsically involved in the Belize Maya Forest Project."
Dr. Elma Kay, Secretary, BNN
"Yes."
Jules Vasquez, Host
"Shouldn't you in the public interest have said that we need to explain to people that this is some extent a tradeoff, that in exchange for this lavish waiver you are going to receive a lavish reward."
Dr. Elma Kay, Secretary, BNN
"It isn't a lavish waiver, it is a lavish reward, I agree with you, but it is not a lavish waiver."
Jules Vasquez, Host
"How can you say that, Doc."
Dr. Elma Kay, Secretary, BNN
"Let me tell you why. One of the main things, you know we talk about all the benefits of forest and all these things, but I want to focus on one thing, that should allow us to see that this isn't a lavish waiver, but that the rewards we actually get are definitely lavish and that is water. Water unifies this country. Everybody in this country, it doesn't matter whether you are from conservation, it doesn't matter if you are in business, it doesn't matter what walk of life you're in, water is a key resource that is important to us and I don't know to this day any machine that man has invented that can create water. The only system that can create water is forest and trees, so one of the main things here is when you look at the area that was conserve with the Rio Bravo and I brought some maps. In those maps you can actually see the Rio Hondo water shed and to the right of that water shed you see the extent of the new river water shed. So that area that has been protected is the only remaining forest in those water sheds. Let me tell you what they protect: I look at the 2019 statistics for agriculture, 65% of rice production comes from the north especially from Blue Creek, 35% of our cattle comes from Orange Walk District, 50% of our poultry comes from the Orange Walk District, 50% of our pigs come from Orange Walk District - agriculture in this country is - I was just present at the live AGM that the ministry of agriculture had which I really enjoyed, its a good way to share information with the public and one of the figures that was shown was that our agricultural productivity is worth about 500 million dollars and that has been consistent for the past few years, so let's say 26% of our farmers are in those water sheds where this forest that we have now protected, it remains the only forest that can generate water for those water sheds - so you are telling me that those millions of dollars in agricultural production are supported by the water from those rivers and those water sheds that that is not a worthy tradeoff?"
