And from COVID to conservation, while the nation wrestles with Covid it's also wrestling with the feasibility of the PM's plan for a bridge to Mexico.
We've shown you the situation in the reserve and the precious natural balances that could be lost to progress.
But what does OCEANA have to say about the project?
We put that question to Communications Officer Alyssa Noble and she told us that what's missing is a wider framework for all of the nation's proposed infrastructure projects, especially one that could put a World Heritage site at risk.
Alyssa Carnegie, Communications Director, Oceana Belize
"And that's is one of the primary concerns we do have with all these projects that come up. It is more of a systemic issue, as opposed to a project by project position, which is often the position we are taking. Decisions are made as a project comes in. What we are asking for is the same thing I am sure all investors are asking for, predictability, understanding what is required, and what the processes are. And, that is what the Belizean people are asking for. The San Pedro community wants to be consulted, deserve to be consulted, as does the Seine Bight community with the gas stations that are being built. And so, it really is then about making sure that these situations don't occur over and over again, as numerous representatives of OCEANA have told you before, have said before. We are often painted as this anti-development institution. So many instances, because its airport on the reef yesterday you know, its port proposal today, all of which has different components to it. It can't be that everything is subjective, or individualized to each proposal that is coming in. There has to be some sort of systemic adjustment. And that is what we are asking for; the system needs to be fixed to give communities, give Belizeans the opportunity to understand what is happening in our country, to support it, or to also raise their concerns. But that process needs to happen and thats what we are really advocating for."
