This morning's on Sunup on 7, representatives of the Belize Network of NGOs appeared to discuss several of the proposed mega-developments in cruise ports planned for the Belize District.
One of the first subjects they touched was the unanswered letter which a Coalition of Conservation Groups has written to Prime Minister John Briceno. You'll remember how the conservationists reminded the government that they made certain specific and very important promises to their funding partners and to the world that conservation of Belize's Barrier Reef system would be bolstered significantly as part of the 350-million-US-dollar Blue Bond.
Among other views, that strongly-worded letter from the Coalition requested that the government quote, "…Pause all Environmental Impact Assessments currently in process... until the associated and relevant environmental regulations and laws are appropriately amended and fully realized."
That letter was sent 11 days ago, and the Prime Minister still hasn't responded. Here's what the NGO reps had to say to the Sunup hosts about it:
Senator Janelle Chanona - VP, Oceana Belize
"We need to figure out, okay, how do we develop sustainably and figure out what happens where? Because otherwise, we're shooting ourselves in the foot."
Valdemar Andrade - Executive Director, Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association
"And our job is, you know, with what we are putting forward to the world, and saying, okay, this is our heritage site. This is what we have here in Belize. This is the blue bonds deal that we have had. You know, we have a responsibility on our end now. So, on our end, as NGOs, as a coalition of NGOs, we are taking that responsibility very seriously. In fact, the Belize Marine Protected Areas Network basically has remodeled its whole program of work to ensure that we can deliver those conservation agreements under the Blue Bonds because it is serious, and we do a big part of that job. We collect all the data. We have to put all that forward there. There are many people there, you know, that are out there really working hard to ensure that we meet those conservation agreements. And so, for any slippage to allow, you know, we are taking our responsibility, we are taking our part. So, we expect the government to do the same."
Senator Janelle Chanona - VP, Oceana Belize
"But when you look at the numbers, it's very clear. We have, I think, upwards of 90% of our tourism dollars coming from the overnight stay, but really only 9% coming from cruise. So again, when you look at the cost-benefit analysis, and you say, okay, if we're going to do cruise, let's figure out how, where, and why to do it. Because if we're going to be negatively impacting or degrading sites - because it's not just Marine - it's also where are they going to go? You know, what's the carrying capacity of those sites? They're talking about oasis ships, like, it's a great thing that, you know, thousands more will come. But what does that mean for, you know, bathroom facilities at Altun Ha? And does that mean it goes out to other places in other capacities? And that's why we really say this is on our letter because it's going to impact all of us. The quality of the roads, we see. What if there are more buses going further because, you know, there's more time to spend in the day? So it's really that we're going into this eyes wide open and figuring out where it is. But bottom line, we've known that overnight tourism is where it's going. And I think the investment towards that has reflected that. But for whatever reason, the administration has said, you know, we let market forces decide, and I'm still trying to reconcile that because again. If we're not planning, then even the economic feasibility of all of those ports within that area, I'm struggling to figure out, and I haven't got an explanation yet for that in terms of how that's going to work."
