Dredging in the biological corridor; is it a crime?
More details have become available on the development taking place within the Labouring Creek Jaguar Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary. The Environmental Research Institute of the University of Belize says that along with Panthera and Ministry of Forestry, it is responsible for oversight of the protected area. According to ERI, a canal, almost two miles long and a hundred and sixty-four feet across, has been dredged along the middle of the biological corridor, posing an ecological threat to wildlife in the area. Excavation was being conducted to irrigate a sixteen thousand-acre sugar cane plantation, the property of Green Tropics Ltd., situated west of the sanctuary. The passageway serves as a crucial link connecting the Maya Mountain Massif in southern Belize to La Selva Maya in the north. The strip of forest was cleared without the approval of an environmental impact assessment which has been drafted and submitted to the Department of the Environment. That EIA has not been vetted through public consultation, nor has it been authorized by the National Environmental Appraisal Committee. As a result the Ministry of Forestry has issued a cease and desist order and is exploring legal options to prosecute the principals of Green Tropic Ltd., a Guatemalan company operating in Belize.
So who I n this corrupt gov. Is selling our country to Guatemala some one in this gov. Gave permission find out who and put him in jail for 20 yrs.
First, revoke the licences and permits of this violator. If a Duat company, or any foreign company, comes here, it is a PRIVILEGE, not a right. They must be expected AND REQUIRED to obey our laws to the letter.
And the minimum penalty for violating the law should be expulsion and loss of the privilege.
Kick them out, fill in the canal, and heal the rainforest.
Now, I’ll be curious to see who in GOB gets paid off to let them continue to break our laws and kill our Wildlife Sanctuary.
LET’S ALL KEEP OUR EYES ON THIS SCANDAL — it affects us all, and what can be done in Labouring Creek can be done in your backyard, too.
Yes this is a crime one of national alarm. This is like destroying caracol or xunantunich. This is national heritage. This people should be charged with full extent of the law. thier land should be confiscated and made also part of the corridor, plus charge the multimillion dollor damage they have done.
Imagine how big a sixteen thousand acres cane-field is. Then imagine the tons of fertelizer and the hundreds of pesticide drums that will be used for the up-keep of this humongus sugar-cane farm. Now, imagine all that poisonous residue seeping back into the canal and draining into the river. My fellow Belizeans, not only the river water level and the flora&fauna along the banks will be affected but, the river it-self will be killed and rendered useless. All living creatures in the river will be killed or poisoned. The villages along the banks will forever lose the use, enjoyment and benefits of the river. What is more, all these poison will empty into our sea and sooner rather than later, will affect our marine products, the reefs and our shoreline and thus affect our tourism. Once our marine product is infected, it will cause sickness and thus affect our already broken health system and what is more, it will affect our marine export. But, I am agashed, I do not hear that noisy flutterring butterfly from Oceana. Perhaps because there are no Benjamines(U.S. hundred dollares) for her here. Instead, she is out there taking GOB to court when it is the Belizean tax-payer whom she is fighting. Do not get me wrong. I will say it over and over. I believe that developement and conservation can, should and must go hand in hand. yes, we can eat our cake and have it too. We can pump out our oil and Green Tropic can have it’s cane field and still protect our environment. If things are done the right way as is supposed to be done, it can be a win-win situation. I am happy that we have a new environmental sherriff in Belmopan Town. I hope not to be disappointed.
Lucas is 1,000% right.
16,000 acres is 25 SQUARE MILES! That’s one heckuva lot of cane, or whatever he plans to grow. I’d like US DEA to help investigate this company — I’m a little suspicious.
I agree that these people made a big mistake, but, to bring the apocalypse to Belmopan (Lucas) with the sugar cane project, it’s exaggerated. This project, if managed right, can bring more benefits than shortcomings to the area. I say, let´s hear from them, maybe give them a big fine and ask some of the 16k land back for the reservation.
All I want to say is that we need these types of companies in order for Belize to develop. This project will bring MORE jobs and NEW business to the area. It just needs to be supervised better by the government. Don´t stop the project, there are many ways to solve this, like community service or investment of some kind.
Any time there are major developments in the making, someone has to be the party pooper! This whole operation would have brought 1600 jobs minimum per year!!!! These people have money to offer for poor Belizeans. And another thing, this forest was devastated by hurricane, all that needed to be done was push together the fallen trees and clean up, nothing else left, of course some underbrush.
Belizean I agree with you. Its the same thing people did when the Dams were built, try to stop it. But the apocalypse didnt happen, and electricity is now manageable due to the conributions from the dams, if we were buying 100% from CFE electricity would be higher. If this factory opens they will also produce electricity like BSI/Belcogen, making us more self sufficient. This is good for the economy, Agriculture is the way to go. Look at the Crisis in Europe, if the world goes into another recession, we ll lose many jobs in Tourism, this is a failed Industry, we need to make Agriculture the number one employer again. Period!!!!
I am glad that some investors are trying to do something here in Belize. I see in the news and the web that other countries in the reagion are getting new investments and companies that are creating new job oportunities for the poeple. Here in Belize nothing new is happening in a long time… I see no new companies trying to develop anything or to put a new factory!!!!! I see the opposite, companies had been going out or closing their operationg…… We should support new investors!!!!!! We have the mayan mountains for the wild life to be preserved, we should use the productive land in the country to our favor and produce jobs, goods, products and services for the development of the country .