Environment - Channel 5 Belize

Belize’s Marine Expansion Plan Sparks Data and Inclusion Concerns

On November 4, 2021, Belize signed the Blue Bonds agreement with The Nature Conservancy to restructure debt and enhance marine conservation. The deal mandates that twenty-five percent of the country’s ocean space be protected, with roughly twenty percent already designated as Biodiversity Protection Zones. To meet the November 4, 2024, Milestone Four target, Belize must designate an additional five percent as Medium Protection Zones. However, concerns from fishers and experts regarding data reliability and inclusive planning highlight the need for transparency in fish stock assessments and balanced conservation efforts. Digital Editor, Hipolito Novelo, has the following report.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

The government’s latest conservation proposal includes regions like Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Glovers Reef Atoll, and areas east of Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve. However, some local fishermen and other stakeholders are concerned that they haven’t been properly consulted in these decisions. As Belize approaches a key deadline for its Blue Bonds commitment to protect thirty percent of its waters, tensions are rising. Fisherfolk express concern that the push to meet these conservation targets may overlook their livelihoods, highlighting the need for a more inclusive approach to marine protection. Career fisherman Dale Fairweather missed the Belize City consultation while out at sea. Fairweather believes consultations should be more than procedural steps and stresses the importance of firsthand knowledge to avoid misunderstandings.

Dale Fairweather, Fisherman

“To me, it was basically a consultation just to meet their obligation to the Blue Bond. Well, I think that fishermen should attend all of these things so that they know what happened. I don’t think it’s a waste of time. I think it’s for the fishermen to attend because if they don’t attend, then they will be blind to what’s going on. Under the Managed Access Program, you’re allowed to fish two areas. So, if I don’t have a license for Lighthouse Reef, I might get pushed out and can’t go fish the deep water around like those reef later on then down the strip They might bring in rules because right now they say there’s no rules Say maybe here to down the road inside to put expand the inside rules all the way out to the boundary then I won’t be able to go and fish around like those reef, you know the blue water because Did this law come into effect now? But right now they say there is none. So basically, I don’t know, to me it’s like a double edged sword, you don’t know. Are you worried about that? Yes, I am worried because I’m investing in going into the deep, deep sea fishing.”

Nigel Martinez, Executive Director of the Belize Federation of Fishers (BFF), criticized the recent consultations as poorly organized and lacking essential information. According to Martinez, the Belize City meeting had minimal attendance and didn’t adequately represent those fisherfolks who are directly impacted by proposed marine zone expansions. He questioned the use of “public consultation,” suggesting it was misleading due to limited transparency, the absence of a detailed management plan, and insufficient participation from the fishing community.

Nigel Martinez, Executive Director, B.F.F.

“When you talk about public consultation, there was no public consultation there. They did not even meet a threshold, you know, so that was alarming to me. And that’s why I came to that conclusion that it was poorly organized. I would have wanted to see a management layout of the new expansion area. Each zone should have a management plan. What are the new requirements for these expansions? How will these impact the area? What is the fisheries management of that specific area? None of those were explained. They came and they made a presentation and because the government have to meet milestone four based on the blue bond commitment, they outright don’t care whether you agree or don’t agree. At the end of the day, the SI is going to be implemented.”

Despite the Fisheries Department’s assurances that consultations are inclusive and involve diverse stakeholders, critics argue these sessions lack genuine engagement, suggesting that decisions may already be predetermined. Acting Fisheries Administrator Rigoberto Quintana points to efforts like community outreach in key coastal areas and good turnout in places like San Pedro and Caye Caulker but acknowledges limitations in reaching the full spectrum of impacted fisherfolk.

Rigoberto Quintana, Acting Fisheries Administrator

“ I must also say that this process, we have the, at the highest level, we have the Fisheries Council, that some of this work has been, the Council has been updated as this work was being done through the Coastal Zone and the Fisheries Department. And we have in that Fisheries Council, we have four representatives from fisherfolk organizations. We have Northern Fishermen, National Fishermen, the Chairman of Chunox Fishermen’s Association and we have the chairman of Hopkins Fishermen’s Association in the Fisheries Council. With this expansion based on the meeting yesterday, I can speak to yesterday and today that they are in support. The area will be open to those fishing activities that fishers are carrying out, and we’re not restricting fishers or any other activities that happen in the general rivers area. I expect that, this meeting with stakeholders will be successful because, fishers right now the sentiment is that once will not be restricted, we can continue to have access to the traditional fishing activities, then we will support this process. And the blue bonds is a legal agreement that the government of Belize signs off. Those conservation commitments by Belize is binding to the nation.”

As Belize advances its plans to expand Biodiversity Protection Zones (BPZs), local fishers and experts question whether these initiatives rely on robust data and inclusive planning. Critics are concerned that baseline data transparency issues and limited stakeholder input might overshadow the needs of fishers and accurate assessments of marine health. Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.

MIDH Says Entrances to the City Will Be Fixed When Rains Subside

The recent rains have been blamed for washing away culverts and breaking up streets and roads. Personnel from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing have been working around the clock, seven days a week to repair and restore these important arteries across the country. And while it has been possible to carry out work for some of the damage, like replacing collapsed culverts, repairing or resurfacing streets and roads, it is not possible until the rain subsides. Both the northern and western entrances to Belize City are in deplorable condition and drivers are swaying left and right to dodge big potholes. C.E.O. at the M.I.D.H, Victor Espat assures that the Ministry has been responding to calls to fix the roads, and while they have adequate equipment, resources, and manpower, the rains have literally dampened the efforts to get those repairs done as quickly as possible. Espat said that the Philip Goldson Highway from the Buttonwood Bay Roundabout to the city is already going through the procurement process and work should start very soon to resurface that portion of road with hot mix. Streets in Belize City, meanwhile fall under the Belize City Council’s management and Deputy Mayor, Alan Pollard told us that those too will be repaired when the rains subside.

Belize’s Reefs Improving but Still Need Saving

Today marked the unveiling of the 2024 Mesoamerican Reef Report Card by Healthy Reefs for Healthy People. This comprehensive report, crafted in collaboration with over seventy dedicated organizations, highlights the ongoing efforts to preserve the stunning reefs of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. This regional initiative not only offers invaluable data but also champions ecosystem-based management and adaptive conservation strategies for the Mesoamerican Reef. For an in-depth look at today’s launch, News Five’s Britney Gordon was in attendance.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

A glimmer of hope shines on the Mesoamerican Reef as its health shows improvement for the first time in five years. While this marks a step in the right direction, the overall grade still hovers in the ‘poor’ category. At the launch of the Mesoamerican Reef Report, Raphael Martinez, the Country Coordinator for Healthy Reefs for Healthy People, provided an in-depth look at the report’s findings.

Raphael Martinez, Country Coordinator, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People

“This year’s report card showed an improvement in the reef health index going from two point zero to two point five. It’s still classified the least in the poor category, but the silver lining is it’s an improvement. It’s a significant improvement, especially looking at indicators of the herbivorous fish and commercial fish biomass that saw a rebound from 2021 numbers. So this is a good sign and we believe that there’s more improvements that could be made in terms of reef health. And we hope to have a collaborative effort across our local network of partners in terms of addressing this issue of trying to improve reef health.”

The health grade of the reef is alarmingly poor, with a significant portion of the two hundred and eighty-six monitored sites falling into the ‘poor’ or ‘critical’ categories, at thirty-nine percent and twenty-three percent, respectively. However, there’s a silver lining: sites in fair condition have increased by eight percent, and those in good condition have risen by three percent. Despite these improvements, two sites remain in critical condition.

Raphael Martinez

“A major challenge right now, especially affecting the coral reef, is the high level of heat stress. NOAA announced the fourth global coral reef bleaching event and we’re still feeling the effects of that in 2024. This has significantly affected the coral cover within the country and across the entire Mesoamerican region. And this is the main result of climate change and climate change, accompanied with other stressors that we as humans may introduce into the environment being poor water quality, being environmental degradation. You know, this also helps to reduce the reef, the health of the reef. And it’s important for us to address across sectors, different issues that could help to improve it. So water quality being, improving water quality will help to make the reefs more resilient to different stressors being introduced.”

One of the standout findings of the report was the increase of fish population. Commercial fish biomass increased by forty percent, largely due to stronger enforcement measures and herbivorous fish biomass also saw a thirty percent rise. The population of larger fish species, such as snappers and groupers, remains concerning, emphasizing the need for more fishing regulations and community management initiatives. Doctor Jake Snadden, Director of the Environmental Research Institute at the University of Belize tells us how his team works to break down the data for stakeholders.

Dr. Jake Snadden, Director, Environmental Research Institute, U.B.

“We’ve been looking at what that data structure is and building the supplementary for the data. So the report card presents a summary value, Healthy Reef Index, if you like, so it’s come up this year. But what does that mean on the ground between the different sites? So, say, if you’re looking at Turneffe Atoll, so you’ve got a whole bunch of sites that are surveyed there. Which sites are going up? Which sites are going down? And that’s the sort of level of information that you can use for adaptive management. And so we’ve been working with the data that’s sort of underneath these scores, if you like, putting that science rigor into it.”

Pinpointing areas for improvement through detailed data analysis is a cornerstone of the co-management system. This approach ensures that reefs and protected areas receive the tailored protection they need.

Dr. Jake Snadden

“So if you look at the report card and you like what you see, or you don’t like what you see, and if things are decreasing, you can say, where are these patterns happening? What the story behind the data? So then you look in the supplementary document, and in the supplementary document, you can then start to unpick where it is. And this is really important for like protected area managers or co-managers for areas where they’re looking at what’s happened to their reef. Don’t just look at the one value score. Look at what’s happening at the site level. Then you know which sites are improving, which sites are not improving, which sites have large fish biomass, and so they’re doing well, which sites don’t, are there, is there good seagrass, is there good reef structure where you have high, you can get at the science questions behind the management.”

With the data secured, the next step is a call to action. The Healthy Reefs for Healthy People is advocating for the protection of more areas and stricter regulations on fishing. Britney Gordon for News Five.

Culvert Breaks, Ground Collapses Beside House with Family Inside

A family from San Ignacio Town is lucky that their house did not collapse when recent rains caused a culvert to break next to their yard, pulling down the cement fence that held the ground together and creating a huge hole next to a house. It is believed that the two-story structure on Flamingo Avenue held up only because of the steel enforcements that it was built with. When News Five showed up at the site on Wednesday, employees of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing along with those from the San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town Board were there spreading rocks in the crater that was created when the ground broke loose. News Five’s Marion Ali filed this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting
Nora Gomez was at home with her family a week ago when heavy rains caused the ground adjacent to their house in San Ignacio to become loose and cave in. It happened when a culvert that runs adjacent to their house broke and took with it the portion of the ground, creating a huge crater and exposing the posts of the cement house they live in. Gomez told News 5 that she and her family were inside when all she heard was a loud bang.

Nora Gomez, Occupant of House
“Every time it rains, the mud starts collapsing and that’s when the big wall that was sustaining the poster where the septic is dropped.”

Marion Ali

“What did it sound like? Were you scared?”

Nora Gomez

“Boom! Like, boom! The whole wall – when he went out, the wall dropped. That was the wall, the whole long wall that was sustaining it dropped, so, it’s something dangerous to have three kids and every time they go to the bathroom, it’s something you have to be right there with them. So, it’s something so dangerous for not only me, but my neighbors.”

Gomez says the problem had been giving them signs since before the last set of rains fell.

Nora Gomez

“When we came to live here my landlord said that it’s something, whenever it rains, it’s something, every time, little by little, the mud start dropping.”

On Wednesday, workmen from the San Ignacio Town Council were piling rocks to fill the hole. Thereafter, the plan is to rebuild the wall that secured the property from the culvert. San Ignacio/Santa Elena Mayor Earl Trapp told News Five that the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing provided the aggregates.

Earl Trapp, Mayor, San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town Council

“A creek has been washing away the foundation and base of residences and fence around that area, so it has basically compromised the integrity of that structure – the one, a house on Flamingo [Avenue]. So, currently we are working on trying to restore that with some big rocks at the moment.”

Nora Gomez

“With that wall they are fixing, it should sustain the mud and the post there.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

Paying the Bills of Dumpster Living

Some of us either work for a company or we own one and employ others to work for us. Others simply work for themselves, surviving off a craft, service or talent. But there are those who do very humbling jobs, the kinds that put our safety at risk, like cleaning the streets and draining or collecting the garbage. And then there are the very few who pay their bills off rummaging through the garbage looking for recyclables they can sell to earn a living. We call them scavengers, but whatever we refer to them as, we spoke to a few of them today who say they rather do that than to engage in a life of crime in order to live. News Five brings you this week’s edition of Belize on Reel on dumpster living.

Marion Ali, Reporting

It was Scotsman Hector Urkuhart who wrote the popular English proverb: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This saying holds true for the people who rely on the bags of garbage we dispose of to earn an honest living to buy their meals and pay their bills.

Patricia Robateau, Trash Scavenger

“We gather aluminum, copper, bronze, plastic, Bowen & Bowen pints, tin.”

Marion Ali

“All these things are sold where, the metals?”

Patricia Robateau

“Well, we have buyers and we have our recycling shop.”

Earl Trapp is the mayor of San Ignacio and Santa Elena. He says that people oftentimes throw away items that only need minor repair, and the discards come as great finds for the scavengers.

Earl Trapp, Mayor, San Ignacio/Santa Elena

“You could see people walking out with many fans many times. Sometimes it’s just one basic capacitor or one wire is broken, and it works. People have really been using this place as something to make a living from. People have used this place to send children to school, high school, sixth form, so, I know of some families that have picked up bottles on the roadside and sent their children to school with that.”

Patricia Robateau is a garbage scavenger who visits the Belize Waste Control transfer station at mile two on the George Price Highway in Belize City. She says that she lives off the trash that we throw away. Sometimes the job comes easy, she says, depending on what we pack them in.

Patricia Robateau

“Some of the bags are transparent and we can see through the bags and automatically we just grab the bag that we see the certain stuff that we want because the black bag, we have to open it and check it.”

For Robateau and her colleagues, Robert McKoy and Sidney Forbes, helping to control the garbage situation by recycling material that is thrown away is one part of what they do. There is the noble aspect of rummaging through our waste to earn a living.

Patricia Robateau

“It’s an honest way of making a living and it’s not very hard and you can take time off and go do extra stuff on the side. When you have a permanent job, you don’t even have time for yourself.”

Marion Ali

“This is your job. You work for yourself.”

Patricia Robateau

“Yes, self-employed.”

Robert McKoy, Trash Scavenger

“Everyday I fill my belly and I stay out of crime. I’m a gelly old all man. This place keep it just like I come from Brodies. The best things come to this place.

Marion Ali

“Okay, but you have to go through a lot of digging in garbage, so it’s not sanitary.”

Robert McKoy

“I’m the energizer, so digging doesn’t worry me. I come to dig and I come to sort, I come to seek and I will find.”

But the job is perhaps one of the most hazardous and unsanitary that exists because everything that is dumped from every sector of the community finds its way to the transfer station. Robateau says they have to gear down to face the filth.

Patricia Robateau

“I just use this because there’s certain things in the dirt, it make you feel bad, and bacteria is in the dirt. So I wear my mask every time. Some of us wear masks. We wear gloves, then we wear a vest. This is not a company vest.”

Marion Ali

“What about your feet?”

Patricia Robateau

“And then we wear our boots, like one of those boots that the guys have on. And that is a complete dress with long pants and a T-shirt.”

The only upside to the job is the lucky find, that is, wallets containing money, jewellery, and other valuables that people discard by mistake. Once Mayor Trapp said he got a frantic call from a resident who needed to track down a valuable piece of jewellery.

Earl Trapp

“About six weeks ago. A young lady went to the garage. She was very concerned. She was crying, um, that the garbage truck picked up garbage from outside her house.”

Marion Ali

“She threw away what?”

Earl Trapp

“A piece of jewelry. I’m not sure if she found it, but I think the guy reached on time before the tractor was able to unload and I think she may have retrieved what she had thrown away.”

Robert McKoy

“People just throw away the wrong thing sometimes. Sometimes people throw away the wrong bag. And when they come to me, I have a clean heart. If they throw away the wrong bag and they cry to me, I don’t need no money. Hold the items.”

Sidney Forbes, Trash Scavenger

“We find silver, gold, we find many things. We find even money. We come up, yoh call it come up.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

Tropical Storm Nadine Impacts Old Capital and Western Belize

Tropical Storm Nadine roared to life overnight, transforming into a formidable force by Saturday morning. By 10 a.m., it slammed into Belize just south of the city. Winds clocked in at a blistering 50 miles per hour. Heavy downpours were most evident on Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and in the Corozal District. In Belize City, despite heavy rains, several streetside vendors were operational. Meanwhile, over in the west, the storm left its imprint in different ways. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Amidst the pounding winds and torrential downpour of Tropical Storm Nadine, it was business as usual in Belize City. Streetside vendors were out selling their products.

Street Side Vendor #1

“I decided to come out because money need fih mek and if I don’t come out no money nuh mek. So, I need fih the out yah to make sure I create this service fih customers weh need it most. Reasonable stuff check.”

Street Side Vendor #2

“I got people, customers weh notice I come out. But I bring out only hald of what I usually bring out. This is the last amount weh lef out ah the half. I didn’t even bring out pork. This is the last amount left out of that half.”

Despite Tropical Storm Nadine making landfall, the Belize City market next to the bus terminal remained bustling on Saturday. Vendors carried on with business, even as NEMO strongly advised halting all operations due to the storm.

Daniel Mendez, National Emergency Coordinator, NEMO

“Our messaging had been clear in regards to taking this seriously. We strongly recommended that businesses closed. We cannot take it for granted that this is a small storm. We don’t know what the impact will be.”

According to the National Hydrological Service of Belize, the Macal River, out west, rose approximately fifteen feet above normal levels, while the Mopan River continues to rise tonight.

Tenielle Hendy, Chief Hydrologist, NHS

“Recalling from memory, I believe the Macal has reached about fifteen feet, five point one two meters, which is about fifteen feet from normal flow. For Mopan right now, it is about six to ten feet above what is normal. But this system is still rising. So, that is still not the peak of this flood event we are going through.”

The Macal River runs through the Twin Towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena. The low-lying bridge that connects the two communities became impassable on Saturday afternoon. By Sunday morning, floodwaters had started to recede. Mayor Earl Trapp of the Twin Towns spoke to News Five about a riverbank project along the Macal River that had been inaugurated just eight days prior, only to be swept away by the floods. Trapp clarified that he had no involvement in the project.

Earl Trapp, Mayor, SI/SE

“All of a sudden, the minister and area representatives came up with this of which I was not a planned. I am for the sidewalk and for the stage. I am not for the beach, because one little terential rain and it washes away.”

Paul Lopez

“So now the beach has washed away.”

Earl Trapp

“Yes, it was right in front of that stage. That is gone. So, now it means if you have a flood every month every month you will have to put back sand. I think we can do better if we can analyze the situation properly and yes with residents, I think we could make better informed decisions.”

Flood waters also destroyed a pedestrian bridge in San Ignacio. The low-lying bridge that connects the Twin Towns remains impassable. The Iguana Creek Bridge was also flooded, and that remains impassable tonight. One resident in that area visited the bridge on Sunday morning to assess the flood waters. She owns a farm near the river. Her farm was devastated by flood waters in 2020.

Denise Gordon, Resident, Blackman Eddy

“For now it doesn’t look really bad when compared to other years. So, for now to me it looks ok and it seems like it is going down fast.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Oceana Celebrates Environmental Champions at 2024 AGM

Oceana in Belize held its 2024 Annual General Meeting on Saturday at the St. Catherine’s Academy Mercy Centre in Belize City. It gathered over 300 wavemakers, partners, and environmental allies from across the country.

The highlight of the evening was the announcement of Dassia Regalado as National Wavemaker of the Year. Regalado, a conservationist and veterinary professional working in Seine Bight Village in Stann Creek, was celebrated for her innovative environmental initiatives. Among her achievements is the 3R’s Plastic Initiative, a project that transforms waste into functional art, providing creative solutions to environmental challenges. Regalado has also played a key role in promoting eco-friendly businesses through her platform, Evergreen Marketing, and has been an active advocate for a national referendum on offshore oil development, garnering over 22,000 signatures in support.

In addition to the national honour, Wavemaker awards were presented to outstanding individuals from each district:

Glendy Chiquin, Corozal District
Astrid Cal, Orange Walk District
Liam Sanchez, Belize District
Georgia Belezaire, Cayo District
Schylyr Logan, Stann Creek District
Roxanna Shook, Toledo District

The Partner of the Year award was given to Sea of Life, an organisation recognised for its efforts in reducing plastic pollution and promoting sustainable practices. Sea of Life has been instrumental in raising awareness through trash audits, partnerships with schools, and initiatives targeting single-use plastics.

Former Mayor Sharon Palacio Says She Is Not Sorry

In a bold and unapologetic stance, former Belmopan Mayor Sharon Palacio has defended her decision to allocate lands to impoverished citizens at significantly reduced prices during her time in office. In a detailed written statement to the media, Palacio passionately explained her motivations behind what has now been dubbed the “land giveaway” in the Capital City. She accused the current council of attempting to tarnish her legacy, which she proudly claims, “empowered the disenfranchised”. Adding a personal touch to the story, we also heard from one of the land recipients who has now agreed to pay the full market value for the property. He expressed his belief that the entire process was conducted with utmost transparency. News Five’s Paul Lopez brings us more to this developing story.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Former Belmopan Mayor Sharon Palacio has broken her silence on a land grab scandal that occurred in the Capital City under her leadership. The council issued dozens of lands in Innovabel Estate at rates that saw as much as ninety-five percent discounts. A leaked document from within the council reveals that many of Palacio’s relatives and former council colleagues received land at these discounted prices. In a statement to the media today, Mayor Palacio said, quote, “I was glad that I was able to help ordinary Belizeans who would never have been able to get a piece of land in Belmopan in general or at Innovabel in particular”, unquote. As we have reported, current Mayor Pablo Cawich has issued a public plea for these land title holders to visit City Hall and make the necessary arrangements to pay off the discounted balance. One individual on the list of recipients is Belmopan Resident, Kahlil Enriquez, who gave us an off-camera interview. He says that he approached the council about acquiring a parcel of land in Belmopan upon his return from studying overseas. He was offered a lot in Innovabel Estate.

Voice of: Kahlil Enriquez, Innovabel Land Recipient

“The initial deal was that the land was valued at twenty thousand dollars, and I would get a discount at twenty -five percent so my total payment would be fifteen thousand dollars. So, after paying fifteen thousand I would be given title to this property. But a lot of persons believe that I paid fifteen hundred dollars and received title for this land. That is simply not what happened. I made a payment arrangement with the former council, and I renewed that arrangement with the current council. I am committed to paying the full value of the land which is almost twenty thousand dollars. So, I have already paid towards this parcel which I intend to own soon. As the document presented to you shows, I have been making payments and I will not receive title until the entire sum, the entire value is paid. I don’t want the impression to be that I benefited from an illegal land transaction, because that is simply not the case.”

In her statement to the media, Mayor Palacio referred to these land distributions under her tenure as her legacy. She wrote, “I am not surprised that the current Mayor and his cohorts are investing time and energy trying to erase and minimize my legacy: that is empower the disenfranchised. I am also not surprised that lands which were ill gotten by the wealthy will never see the light of day. Poor people need land too”. Enriquez says he came forward to clear his name, given that it was on the leaked document.

Kahlil Enriquez

“From my understanding this is the actual price of the land and the council has been losing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the persons not paying their fair share for these properties. So I want to uphold my integrity and do the right thing by paying my fair share of what the land is worth, which is close to twenty-thousand dollars. That is what I believe I must do. I want to make it unequivocally clear that I did not participate in any land grab or transaction. I wanted to legitimately own my first parcel of land in Belmopan.”

Referring to herself in the third person, Palacio’s release further stated, “Mayor Sheran Palacio has not gained a single copper from any land allocated to any of the current owners”, her statement further noted. “As an altruistic stateswoman you will see that the recipients included persons from all ethnicities, color, gender and political persuasion”, she went on to say, adding, “you can check the records. And for this, I will stand firm unapologetically. My motto and mantra shall remain change from the heart. This was the spirit under which these lands were allocated”. She also encouraged these landowners to quote, “hold fast, band together, organize and get ready for whatever lies ahead”. And, what lies ahead is yet to be determined by current Mayor Pablo Cawich.

Pablo Cawich, Mayor, Belmopan

“It has not happened as yet. As you know the news just broke, or the details just broke out yesterday. So, no further discussions as with any thing with process or reproductions or anything like that.”

Paul Lopez

“Has these details pushed your team to consider any sort of legal recourse or court action with the former Mayor?”

Pablo Cawich

“As I have expressed recently, court action is not something we want to explore as yet. It is not something we want to explore until we are given the go ahead by our legal counsel. From the inception of this news with Innovabel issue we have harped on saying that our primary focus is to collect the proper funds that are due.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

Fungal Infection Threatens Sugar Cane Crops in Corozal

Farmers in the Corozal District are on high alert as the Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI) has issued a critical warning about a rapidly spreading fungal infection. This infection, known as fusarium, has been wreaking havoc on sugar cane crops for the past month, causing widespread wilting and yellowing. The situation is dire, with the infection already affecting approximately three-fourths of the district’s crops. The rise in temperatures has created an ideal environment for the proliferation of these harmful pathogens, exacerbating the spread of the disease. Marvin Garcia, Research Extension Officer at SIRDI, provided further insights into the crisis. He emphasized the urgency of the situation and the need for immediate action to mitigate the damage and prevent further spread. Farmers are urged to stay vigilant and take necessary precautions to protect their crops from this devastating infection.

Marvin Garcia, Research Extension Officer, SIRDI

“It is through something that creates an opening to the plant can be environmental or can be true best creates an opening and then the fusarium gets in the plant and infect the plant. We have had a long drought season, and I think this is one of the main reasons we have this problem. The soil starts to crack whenever it cracks. It destroys the roots underneath and it creates openings for the plant. Once the plant is weak, the fusarium will infect also, we have stem worm and we have sugar cane weevils that bore through the stem of the cane create openings and the fusaium also goes in there. And also also you were asking if the fusarium will affect humans if we consume it. No, it’ll not. What we’ll do to cane, If it is severe, it depending on the variety of the cane. We have different varieties. Some of them, yes, it can destroy completely and some can be tolerant to it. And that we’re working on it and seeing which varieties are more tolerant. What we have seen in the variety that is more than sixty percent of the sugar industry is B79, 474. It is susceptible. To this fusarium, and we have seen even some areas with the mortality of this, this variety with the fusarium.”

Farmers are advised to clean all fire lines and equipment thoroughly and to avoid using potentially contaminated seeds.

Belizean Bird Enthusiasts Tired of Bird Misrepresentation in ART

Belize, a paradise for bird lovers, boasts over six hundred native bird species, making it a haven for birdwatchers. This vibrant avian diversity has made birdwatching a beloved activity among enthusiasts. However, a recurring issue has been noted by these keen observers: many artworks and images across the country feature bird species that aren’t native to Belize. To delve deeper into this trend, we spoke with several passionate birdwatchers. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more on this intriguing story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Birds are an omnipresent symbol in Belize, gracing our buildings, clothing, and even our currency. They have become an integral part of the country’s iconic branding. However, there’s a troubling discrepancy. Despite their widespread depiction, many of these birds are not native to Belize. Avid birdwatcher Rudy Burgos has voiced his concerns about this issue. Here’s more on his perspective.

Rudy Burgos, Bird Watcher

“People want to use bird images in their advertising, whether it is t-shirts for national celebrations, or they put murals on the walls. For example, the education department put a mural on a wall with a bird or any or national monuments, like real bridges and arc and like that. And sometimes they just go to the internet and do a search. And they based on whatever image they find, which is really shameful because sometimes they come up with strange things that you would find.”

The keel-billed toucan is Belize’s national bird. During September celebrations, imagery depicting the animal appeared all over the country, including the Belize City annual independence mural on the wall of the Roger’s Stadium. This painting is true to the likeness of the bird. However, the same cannot be said for other paintings previously commissioned by the Ministry of Education on the side of school buildings.

Rudy Brugos

“Or they say, this is national bird, which is not. And it goes over and over again. A good example would be some years ago, they started repeating schools all over the country and they put the national symbols, national animals. Okay. and they use a wrong token. That is shameful. Imagine an education department that does not know their national animal so to speak.”

Nearly seventy percent of Belize’s overnight visitors touch down at the Philip Goldson International Airport, where they are welcomed by a striking arch adorned with vibrant macaws. Ironically, these colorful birds are a rare sight for guests during their stay in Belize. This curious mismatch between expectation and reality has not gone unnoticed.

Rudy Burgos

“We only have one type of macaw. We have ten species of parrots. One is a macaw, which is a scarlet macaw. Scarlet means red. You’ll see these macaws, they are not red. So it’s easy to see. They’re not Belizean.”

Spotting non-native bird species in Belize is not unheard of, as many birds migrate to warmer climates during the colder seasons of their native habitats. Earlier this week, an injured Caribbean Flamingo was discovered on the outskirts of Belize City, far from its usual home in Mexico. Despite the valiant efforts of the Belize Bird Rescue and the Animal Medical Center, the flamingo sadly succumbed to its injuries. Miguel Sho, Environmental Education Officer at the Belize Audubon Society, acknowledges the challenge of keeping track of which birds are native to Belize.

Miguel Sho, Environmental Education Officer, BAS

“In Belize you can find over six hundred species of birds, but that both includes the migratory species and the resident species. For the resident species It is, birds that are, that can be found all year round in Belize and getting to identify those birds can be a bit tricky.”

Sho explains that a simple way to ensure that the birds being depicted are accurate to Belize’s diverse environment, is to simply check.

Miguel Sho

“One way that you can get the correct identification of these birds is, by referring to the guides. We have the Birds of Belize guide by by Lee Jones. And there’s some other new editions of books by other authors as well. And those can be very helpful when it comes to identifying birds that are native to Belize.”

By educating Belizeans about what animals are native to the country, visitors will also become more informed about what the country has to offer and what they can expect from their stay. While it might seem like a minor issue to many, for those who cherish and seek to represent the true beauty of their country, it is something they simply cannot ignore. The accurate depiction of Belize’s natural splendor is a matter of pride and authenticity for them. Britney Gordon for News Five.