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The Briceno Administration has made an unprecedented commitment to marine conservation with the Blue Bond, which is predicated on protection and preservation of the marine environment. This blue bond is expected to yield millions of dollars for marine investments and management over the next 20 years and will include expanding marine biodiversity zones, initiating a comprehensive marine spatial program, revamping coastal management and more.
But even with this commitment, Prime Minister Briceno, has proposed a road that leads to a bridge connecting Ambergris Caye north to the Mexican portion of the Yucatan Peninsula.
For this to happen, a delicate eco system which has been preserved for centuries and is teeming with protected species will be disturbed.
Once the PM broke the news, it rattled conservationists on the island. So today, Courtney Menzies took a trip to the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve with a drone to get a better idea of the flora and fauna that will be affected if their home becomes overrun with construction and the constant flow of traffic. Here is that story.
Courtney Menzies: This is one of only three areas in this region where the reef meets the land - on top of that it's a well known nesting site for three different protected species of turtles, and it's all right here in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve. But this precious natural wonder is under threat of disruption since the prime minister has in his sights a bridge connecting Ambergris Caye to the Mexican peninsula - a road that conservationists say will tear this fragile eco system apart.
Rebecca Arceo, Member, ACCSD
"The reserve has not only things like turtles but we've got jaguars in there, we have peccary and there's a whole slew of animals and environment that we haven't even explored yet because it's been untouched and before we open it up we have to figure out how to protect it and what is there and the best way to proceed to protect that environment and those animals before we just open it up and put a road right through it."
But that's what the PM is proposing - a road that will take you from San Pedro Town to the Tip of Ambergris Caye, and then a bridge that goes over the Bacalar Chico Channel and connects to the Mexican peninsula. Here's how he outlined it:
posted (October 13, 2021)
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"We're trying to see how we could connect Ambergris Caye to the Mahahual area, to the peninsula. It's just we have an opening of a canal of about 40 feet, and we believe if we can put a bridge there then that means the Rivera Maya would start In Cancun and end in San Pedro and when we said that to the media in Mexico, that excited them because you'd pay well to drive from Cancun to San Pedro and vice versa and it would open up that market."
It an undertaking of epic proportions, so we took a trip with a local guide who often tours the area and a San Pedrano passionate about conservation to see the area that will be affected. The channel is a narrow strip of water that connects the two countries - meaning this boat is technically in Mexico.
And while this project promises economic benefit, Rebecca Arceo of the Ambergris Caye Citizens For Sustainable development says she's not sure it's worth it.
Rebecca Arceo, Member, ACCSD
"I don't think the benefits outweigh the damage it will cause at all because again, we don't know what they're plan is, we don't know how they're going to protect the environment that being people here. People come to Belize to fish, to snorkel, to see our natural habitat. BTB's slogan used to be mother nature's best kept secret, and I still believe that's why people come here and if we put roads through and we don't have a master plan for what can of buildings can go in, we're jeopardizing all of that."
"My concern is that all developments here are supposed to have an EIA, an environmental impact assessment, and this road because it's government done doesn't require that right so they can go ahead and do the road without even examining how it's gonna effect the environment and also we don't have a master plan for the island still so I'm concerned how they plan on develop an area where there's no plan for zoning, infrastructure, not only roads but even the road here are flooding during rainy season because the drainage isn't appropriate so my concern is that without that environment impact and without a master plan it's just opening us up to a world of problems without any solutions or planning."
And this project comes after the ACCSD had made plans to work on a biodiversity corridor, which would essential connects the nearby reserves to create an area of potential safety for the marine life.
Rebecca Arceo, Member, ACCSD
"What we did recently, or in the past few years was we did the Hol Chan Marin Expansion, where we took the areas along the back of the lagoon and connected them and made them part of Hol Cahn, we did that to protect those areas and now Bacalar Chico, we were looking at doing a co-management with government of Bacalar Chico again to kind of connect all the reserves and make sure they were protected and they were utilized properly. We've got a lot of flat areas in the back and up through Bacalar Chico that are for flat fishing which is one of our biggest industries and so before putting a road through it, I think there needs to be a plan for the reserve, the protection, and how those areas are protected."
Arceo says that once development does start, the organization will take a poll of the residents to get a better consensus - but she believes that even those who agreed with the project will want to ensure the preservation of the natural phenomenon - including the nesting of the loggerhead, green, and hawksbill turtles that share this area.
And one San Pedrano - Jorge Aldana - says he'll fight against this project for as long as he can.
Jorge Aldana, San Pedrano
"I just think that it's not feasible, if you look at the environmental aspect of it, it falls within a marine reserve and for the prime minister to want to pitch the idea of accommodating a bridge, it will need a certain level of infrastructure and the certain level of infrastructure that will be put in place will do more damage to the eco system in the area."
Courtney Menzies:
"When you speak to other San Pedranos what are they saying?"
Jorge Aldana, San Pedrano
"I think the general feeling is that there needs to be some level of consultation, some level of discussion before a project of that magnitude can be pitched to investors."
The president of the Tour Guide Association told us that while he is neither for nor against the project, he believes the PM should have first consulted with the community of Ambergris Caye first - including the hoteliers, private owners, tour guides, commercial fishermen, and the general residents.
