If you haven't heard of the Resilient Bold Belize initiative, you can join hundreds of fisherfolk who probably haven't either. It's a project developed by GOB and other partners set to increase the total area of coral reefs under full protection from 4% to 25% by this month. It's part of the commitments made under the Blue Bond Agreement. It's slated to begin in 2026, with final preparations being made this month. There have been consultations but key stakeholders had no idea this was happening. And today, they're raising the alarm because they say the areas that will be protected are those that they use to earn their income. They explained more in a press conference today. Courtney Menzies was there and has this story.
The Resilient Bold Belize initiative's objective is to expand fully protected marine areas from 4% to 20% by next year. To the average person, 20% may not seem like a lot but tour guides and fishers from the south held a press conference to explain that it's actually a chunk of their livelihoods.
Eworth Garbutt, President, BFFA
"The whole ocean space, our largest barrier reef we have in this hemisphere is less than 10% of Belize water. So break it down to this. When you tell me now it's only 2%. We're talking 2% from 10%. You have ten fingers, I cut off two, you're gone. So just to break down so Belizeans understand, if you look at this picture and see the red, does this look like 2%? When I say that the 10% is so significant because that's where the lobster, the conch, the GDP money comes from. The government is shooting itself in its own foot because the lobster and conch gets caught here. And don't let us talk about the 100% water in general but we're talking about the reef coverage which is less than 10% and we're going to give up 2% out of the 10%."
Nigel Martinez, Belize Federation of Fishers
"When it comes down to the percentage, the 30% that the government has mortgaged out our resource because that is what it actually is, they had literally mortgaged out our seas and we had no participation, we have no say in how that was done. But in order for this deal to finalize, they need to capitalize on the remaining 5% in order to get the biodiversity zones to 30% which needs to go into law in 2026. And this is why we are pushing back. Because we need clarity."
And they say they require that clarity because the "consultations" that were held were poorly advertised and poorly attended. A validation workshop was scheduled for today, but it's being put on pause by the Ministry of the Blue Economy after Garbutt sounded the alarm.
He explained that even those that attended the meetings were unaware of what the project really entailed.
Eworth Garbutt, President, BFFA
"I went personally over to Independence and found out for the cooperative guys, so what's happening? Do you guys know anything about Resilient Bold Belize? I think the answer was zero, none. No one, out of 100 fishermen, none of them know about except for the 4 that went to the meeting or so called consultation in Placencia. Hence the reason we're here today saying this. Let's target the threat when it comes to conservation or preservation or anything, let's target not just the money from the donor but let's figure out first what is the threat and none of these people sitting up here, commercial fishers, tour guides, are not the threat. People even at that meeting didn't understand that full protection meant you're not able to catch even bait. Not even catch bait."
"For us in that area, it's the 20% that holds us together. And there's no way that the community without consultation could ever stand up for something they don't know about."
And the other associations are also demanding more consultations.
Glenn Eiley, Placencia Tour Guide Association
"After reading up a little bit and I hear that not even catch and release will be allowed. That was a signal for me to get up and at least say, can we have a sober conversation here? Because what I saw there was there's a lot more pressure that will come on those areas that are open if those size of areas will be closed off. and we have all these fisherfolk, all these tour guides going into that area that will all of a sudden not be able to, because it's not everybody who snorkels and dives, a lot of them fish so if they are not allowed to go there and just do sport fishing, it begs the conversation."
Ysela Martinez, Blue Water Fishermen Association
"When the consultant reach to Riversdale we thought this was done deal until I spoke with Eworth, he told me no this is not a done deal, and so that's one of the reasons why fishers from Riversdale decided to pinpoint areas that would least affect the fishers from Riversdale and those were pretty much in area three. So moving forward, we're asking that we need proper consultation. There's a lot of illegal activities happening and so when we think about you want to close off more areas, what are we going to do now? without proper enforcement, it's like we're not doing anything."
Nigel Martinez, Belize Federation of Fishers
"We have said categorically that you cannot call a consultation with a small group of people. One of the questions that we had asked when you look at the different zones and areas, these areas represent hundreds of fisherfolk, tour guides, and other stakeholders. So for us to have a consultations you want to identify a percentage of those people to get a meaningful consultation to get the correct feedback that you need in order to make and implement changes. That was not done. We continue to call on the Ministry that the approach they're taking is a top down approach."
Paula Jacob Williams, Chairlady, Punta Negra/Southern Grassroots Association
"We have been a part of the protected area and they talk about the no take zone and things like that. To me, the enforcement is poor, we need more enforcement but the thing is why should we protect more and we are not taking care of the one we have already? No protection and the thing is that all those years we used to have birds on the cayes, we used to go there to catch bait, you could have done all your touring, your fishing and things like that. Now it gets protected and no take zone and nothing is there protecting."
Michael Peralta, Fly Fishing Guide, San Pedro
"We do lack enforcement at least for us in San Pedro. We're all frustrated, it's frustrating that we always help about them giving us a pill that we have to swallow always without water. And they tell us you have to deal with this and it's like that it's going to be because it's the law now. They're telling us they're going to protect sections of the reef that we won't be able to fish there but they allow barges to run right across and throw all that sediment up and when we bring that up, they say we did our research and it's not going to affect that much. When as tour guide when we go snorkel we tell the guests don't kick the sand so even a little bit of sand goes up on that reef."
But a postponement doesn't mean a halt in the project, since the 30% of protected marine space is required under the blue bond deal. And this group is saying they're not against conservation, but the areas under discussion need to be readjusted.
Nigel Martinez, Belize Federation of Fishers
"We know the blue bond, the debt for nature swap has significant penalty clause if any of those milestones are missed but what he's saying is that we understand, the government back is against the wall, they mortgaged our sea for 30%, we understand that, but what we are saying, the area that are recommended for the high biodiversity zone, we are saying those areas, we can go back, look at it, tweak it, and ensure that we are looking out for the grass roots people."
Eworth Garbutt, President, BFFA
"Know that we're here to dialogue, we're here to converse, we're here to just find out what's happening. I know Mr Paul asked if the government did this or that, the worst problem you could have is when you don't acknowledge. If we acknowledge that we made a mistake, we reach here and we can't turn anywhere, then we bring all troops in."
The Ministry of Blue Economy will be conducting more focused consultations while the validation workshop is on pause.
