BTIA HOLD FORUM ON ISSUE OF DE-RESERVING AND SALE OF BACALAR CHICO NATIONAL PARK AND MARINE RESERVE

October 30, 2007

Today the Belize Tourism Industry Association is holding a forum with its members and other interested bodies on the issue of de-reserving and sale of a part of the Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve.  Love News spoke with Executive Director of the B-T-I-A Andrew Godoy who told us tha forum is still going on and the response of those taking part is positive.

Andrew Godoy,Executive Director of the B-T-I-A:

“The forum has proved to be very effective. In fact we have the people from the international community, the members from World Heritage Alliance,PACT, BTIA board. It’s a very good forum this morning discussing the Bacalar Chico de-reservation and also the other 14 proposed de-reservations. Other areas that have been discussed when talking through the forum has to do with the implications as the de-reservation of a national protected area, especially one that was given World Heritage recognition. So we will be discussing the implication that that has on Belize. We even discussed the different procedures if the government wanted it to be de-reserved and any portion of the World Heritage site, the government would have to go clearly coming from the international community is that as far as we know, neither of those procedures were met and so the discussions continue and people are writing and logging in and we are learning more of what had to have been done in order for us to even consider de-reservation.”

Yesterday, members of the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations met and discussed the present issue of Bacalar Chico.  According to its Chairman, Edilberto Romero, the association will be asking government to reconsider the de-reservation of the national park.

Edilberto Romero,Chairman:

“Basically what we’re going to do is send a formal request to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Natural Resources asking for their commitment that they are not going to de-reserve any part of Bacalar National Park or also ask them that they commit not only to the reserve but also to the other protected areas because we know that there have been deliberation. We can mention Mango Creek #1, that has been reserved partially, we can mention Machaca reserve that is being reserved partially and there is a lot of under unprotected areas like Fresh Water Creek that are being looked at for de-reservation. In fact, the list we have is fifteen protected areas that is in the process of being a reserve. We also want them to commit that if there should be any dues and it should be put to a proper process.”

APAMO represents eighteen organizations that manage protected areas.  This, according to Romero, represents about one point one million acres of land under reserves.  Denouncing the de-reserving of the protected area was also the Belize Audubon Society.  According to its Executive Director, Ana Hoare, what has Audubon more concerned is the proposed de-reserving of the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ana Hoare,Executive Director:

“One of the ones that we’re extremely concerned about is the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and as you know, that is one of the areas where we manage and one of the beneficiaries would be Mr. Luke Espat and of course we are totally against that, simply because Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary has always served the wider society. One of the functions of Crooked Tree is that it’s an important flood plain area and so it’s not serving just Crooked Tree residents, it’s serving the entire Belize City because it’s an area that absorbs water. When all the heavy rains come in, it’s a natural flood plain we call it. It’s an important water habitat that’s important for tourism. As a protected area, we have noted that it’s an extremely critical habitat as well.”

The Belize Audubon Society says that the sale of a part of the national park will “represent the selling off of a significant biodiversity, heritage, and cultural value and without consultation with or considering the negative impacts to the Belizean people who benefit economically, culturally, socially and environmentally”. 

|

|