A new development on Northwestern Ambergris Caye is looking to start generating controversy on the environmentally conscious island. It's for a 220 acre subdivision on the island, and the leader of the opposition has put out a statement calling for immediate and full disclosure from the Department of the environment and the Chief Environmental Officer regarding the approval of the Silver Palms Mega Development on Ambergris Caye in one of Belize's most sensitive environmental zones.
The project was approved in December of 2024 under what's called a limited level environmental study, which is not a full environmental impact assessment, so it does not require public consultation. Today, we asked the Chief environmental officer via zoom why it got no full EIA and he said it did not meet the legal threshold for that scale of development that would worry warrant and EIA.
He explained. That process that led to its approval, which they first started to review in January of 2024.
Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer
"But it speaks to the sensitivity of the area. It speaks to the vegetation cover in terms of stunted mangrove growths, littoral forest. It speaks to the geology and, and soil type in terms of having, high bedrock within the area. And it speaks to, for example, the potential impacts that could be created from this project, such as pollution, habitat destruction, and this type of thing. And so we consider all of these issues. And again, the committee believes that the impacts that were identified within the limited level studies are avoidable and mitigatable."
"And so the ECP that we prepared for this document has strict conditions under which the developer should undertake the project. Right? And so that we have the least amount of negative impacts on the environment."
"What are you able to say about the concerns raised by the Fisheries Department? Very specific concerns and how those were handled."
"Yeah. So, first, the Fisheries Department was involved from the onset. And to be honest with you, from the beginning, they had suggested that because the area is within a sensitive area and because it borders the Hol Chan marine reserve, they had requested that an EIA be done. And again, I can't arbitrarily decide. So the way we screen projects and the way we determine when an EIA is required is based on the law, right is based on schedules within the law.. And our response to them was that the projects clearly falls within schedule two of the EIA regulations. And therefore a limited level should be required rather than an EIA."
"Were these adequately addressed or was there a rush to approve the project, maybe because of some external pressure, maybe external political pressure? Maybe they're well-connected investors. That sort of thing. Was there caution thrown to the wind so that some investor could be could get their satisfactory outcome?"
"Well, no, I, I again I it's been earlier the, the time frame in terms of the time it took you know, for this project to be processed. And really and truly I have never experienced, like significant political pressure in terms of the decisions that I need to make as the chief environmental officer."
"I don't receive significant political pressure from any minister in relation to these projects. These projects are assessed, processed and decisions are made solely on the information that is provided within the reports. And again, it's based on guidance and recommendations from senior people within government in relation to having some level of permitting authority or responsibility over these projects."
"At any point, were corners got to please, well-connected investors or somebody who have strings per se."
"The answer is no."
The UDP has demanded, quote, the immediate release of all documents related to the Silver Palms approval, a public explanation from the Chief environmental officer, and a moratorium on any further work until a full EIA is done and shared publicly.
