Tonight all along the Belize District coastline, manatees may be grazing or eating, sleeping, or resting, quietly doing their manatee thing - unknowing that above the water, we humans are debating their future and their habitat. In fact, the manatee may have become the most politicized creature in all Belize. That's because the Port of Magical Belize plans to create a peninsula and port within areas used by the endangered mammal.
How real is the threat? Very! That's according to manatee man Jamal Galvez - who recently returned from studies in the US. On Friday he went out into manatee territory with Cherisse Halsall - which also happens to be the zone of influence for the port of Magical Belize. Here's her story:
We're navigating along the coastline near the northern lagoon in the Belize District - this is the zone of influence for the planned Port of Magical Belize. That project is one that their international partner Royal Caribbean has called the most environmentally feasible of the three, but will it harm Belize's Manatees?
That's what we asked the Manatee man Jamal Galvez when he took us on a rainy weather tour from the Sibun to the coast to see the habitat of the much politicized Antillean manatee.
Jamal Galvez, Researcher, Clearwater Aquarium Research
"That project, specifically its location and the proposal, presents a hazard not just to Manatees but other marine species that may travel to access fresh water, to mate, to feed on seagrass beds. The Peninsula will cause erosion down stream and all kinds of impacts downstream."
And perhaps most concerning is PoMb management plan's claim that, quote: " most manatees in the coastal waters are observed closer to the reef than the shore in the PoMB area." Galvez says that this misconception is one that his friend and colleague, Vivian Ramnarace had put in front of NEAC.
Jamal Galvez, Researcher, Clearwater Aquarium Research
"Our arguments and our positions are always based on science and we have the data, we have the science to show that these animals do travel along the coast. In the last month we had two animals that we tagged in Gales Pointe Manatee, that have made numerous trips between Gales Pointe and Belize City, literally passing right in front of the proposed area, coming into the Sibun river, but there is additional data to substantiate our arguments and our claims, um, so you can't fight data."
That ecosystem includes an all important transit corridor between salt and fresh water habitats. One of those, the Belize River is already a hazardous environment for Manatees, leading to recent reports that Belize's manatee populations, which have some of the highest densities in the region, are considered to be just 'fair'
Jamal Galvez, Researcher, Clearwater Aquarium Research
"Over 65% of manatee deaths or incidents occur within that Belize river area, mainly stemming from the cruise tourism activities, the boating activities. This river as you have seen is basically very very limited traffic. So it's a real natural system and it's an area that a - tourism project of that magnitude will definitely have huge boat traffic and disruption of a natural area and it would affect manatees that use this area currently."
And in the end if Portico or indeed any of the other potential ports get their way what will be gained compared to what will very likely be lost?
Jamal Galvez, Researcher, Clearwater Aquarium Research
"None of these cruise ship ports that have been proposed have been close to perfect. We are not asking for a perfect project but we are asking for one that we the Belizean people and the environmental organizations can stomach."
But what can concerned Belizeans do to help? Well you can register your concerns with your area rep. And as Jamal says
Jamal Galvez, Researcher, Clearwater Aquarium Research
"Echo the, echo our sentiments that these projects need to be, to take into consideration, some of the things that they are going to impact especially, the endangered species."
"The northern lagoon area as well is an area heavily used by manatees, which is within the influence zone."
"Southern lagoon which is one of the highest density areas as it relates to manatees, is one of the most important area for manatees, not just in Belize but in my opinion in the region."
And so while manatees happily thread the Belize district coastline as they have for millennia, they do so unaware of the decisions being made in Belmopan could forever re-map their underwater world with a peninsula dropped right unto the main vein of manatee existence - for a port that - at least for them - will be far less than magical for them.
We did make efforts to reach Paul Walker who came up with the "Management Plan for Antillean Manatees in the Port of Magical Belize area" but up to news time - he had not responded to our requests for comment.
We note that his plan says, quote, "immediate Port of Magical Belize development footprint on the east coast does not overlap with key foraging area for manatees, dolphins or sea turtles. With no seagrass beds within the proposed coastal development area, manatee use of this east coast is considered to be primarily for transiting between Southern Lagoon and other areas of Belize." End quote.
