The Belize Audubon Society is calling all birders to flock together for the fourth annual birding festival! This exciting event offers bird enthusiasts a chance to connect, exchange knowledge about Belize’s diverse bird species, and learn about conservation efforts. This year’s festival will take place on October fifth in Spanish Lookout. Miguel Sho, Environmental Education Officer at the Belize Audubon Society, shares more details on what attendees can expect.
Miguel Sho
Miguel Sho, Environmental Education Officer, BAS
“The Belize Birding Festival is a huge event that is, it’s the fourth annual event in Belize itself. And it’s very huge that a lot of birders nature lovers can get together, build network and meet people and also get to learn about, conservation in Belize and how, a bird is contributing to tourism in Belize as well. So the entrance fee for the event is thirty-five Belize per person, and that is at the door. You can also register, we have a website that you can register on, which is the belizebirdingfestival.org. But, the price is the same on the website and at the door. So thirty-five and five for kids. And it’s an entire day event. So it’s, there’s a lot of activities. There’s some workshops that is very useful for persons who are interested in learning birds. And we also collect data on a bird species that we haven’t believed. There’s also a workshop that is being done on how these data are used when it comes to conservation and tourism.”
Former Belmopan Mayor Sharon Palacio has been identified as a beneficiary of lands in the Innovabel Estate, acquired at significantly reduced prices. During the final days of Palacio’s tenure, numerous parcels within the estate were sold at a staggering ninety-percent discount. In some instances, the discounts soared to an eye-popping ninety-five percent. A leaked document from the council has brought to light the findings of the current administration, detailing the individuals who purchased these parcels and the amounts they paid. This ongoing investigation, spearheaded by Mayor Pablo Cawich and his team, aims to uncover the full extent of these transactions. News Five’s Paul Lopez brings us the latest on this developing story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
As the Belmopan City Council delves deeper into the controversial Innovabel Estate land transactions overseen by former Mayor Sharon Palacio, a cascade of alarming revelations is emerging. News Five has verified the authenticity of a detailed list that discloses the land costs, authorized prices, and actual amounts paid for forty-three parcels in Innovabel Estate. According to the leaked document, eight parcels went to the former city administrator and his son. The document uncovers a startling discrepancy: although the eight parcels were collectively valued at one hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars, a mere two thousand dollars was actually paid. The list also implicates former Mayor Sharon Palacio, who is noted to have received two parcels in Innovabel Estate. However, the document remains silent on whether she paid anything for these parcels. Adding to the intrigue, Palacio’s children, grandchildren, and brother are also mentioned, each having paid just two thousand dollars for lands appraised at over nineteen thousand dollars. In one instance, Belize All Phase Limited, a company that is reportedly connected to Palacio’s son, received eight parcels of land at five hundred dollars per parcel, a grossly discounted price. The list also includes names such as Stella Kalu, Celina Danladi, Tabe Beson, Juan Caal, Kahlil Enriquez and the council’s former finance director, Melvyn Edenojie. Danladi is the only person named that paid ten thousand dollars. The document also shows that former City Councilor Hope Amadi received six parcels of land, four under Rosyco Integrated Service and two under Amadi Hope. He allegedly paid thirty-five hundred dollars in total for all six parcels. The leaked document reveals a staggering valuation of seven hundred and fifty-eight thousand dollars for the forty-three parcels. Yet, the council’s coffers reflect a mere one hundred thousand dollars from these transactions. Highlighting this discrepancy, current Mayor Pablo Cawich pointed out in a September twentieth press conference that titles have already been distributed for most, if not all, of these parcels. These titles are absolute, and the titleholders are not obligated to make any further payments. He has, however, requested that they visit the council and decide on how to pay the balance out of good conscience.
Pablo Cawich
Pablo Cawich, Mayor, Belmopan
“I can’t say with any surety that everyone has received their tittles. What we do know is that many of them have received titles. Some of them, as I mentioned, the receipts for the councils will show that some of them paid after receiving the titles as well. The stance we have taken with every single recipient is that we are not trying to take away any opportunity. If it is that you have received eight titles, all we are asking you to do is to create a payment plan to ensure you are paying the full value of the land where we would try to rely on is your ethics and morals knowing that a piece of land in Belmopan is not worth two thousand dollars.”
Myvett says while the discovery is great news for the scientific community and for fisheries management in Belize, he expressed hope that it will also give Belize’s marine scientists an opportunity at doing research on the species of shark. In fact, he hopes that Belizean marine biology students will get first dibs on whatever research needs to take place in the future on Belize’s marine life.
George Myvett, Marine Biologist
“Sharks in Belize do enjoy a certain level of statutory protection. So, for example, it is illegal to harvest or capture sharks. It is also illegal, generally, to capture the whale shark, the other sharks. There are also regulations protecting them. So for example, one kind of fish or sharks are within a radius of two miles of the atolls and the atolls for us are obviously the Glover’s Reef Atoll, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, and Turneffe Atoll. Generally, there’s about fifteen hundred square miles of sea that no one can capture or interfere with these sharks. As I look at the work that has been done, it has been done by obviously a non-native, a non-Belize research institution. As a Belizean scientist, I would like to see, going forward, that we have Belizeans associated with these studies. So for example, I would want to see a Galen University and of course a University of Belize associated with these studies.”
Today, non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, or diabetes are the leading causes of illness and premature death in Belize. Multiple risk factors lead to these diseases, such as an unhealthy diet. According to the Pan American Health Organization, the prevalence of obesity in Caribbean children is two to three times higher than in the rest of the world, contributing to the heightened rates of non-communicable diseases. In tonight’s edition of our Five Point Breakdown, we look at the approach to encouraging children to make healthy decisions and the challenges that come with doing so. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
One in three Caribbean children are overweight or obese. The health of these children will define that of a generation of working adults. If action is not taken swiftly to lead them on a healthier path, these children will continue to be at risk of developing non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension or diabetes; some of the leading causes of death in Belize.
Why healthy eating habits must start at a young age
Robyn Daly-Faber
Robyn Daly-Faber, Nutritionist, MOHW
“Nutrition plays a very big role for growth, for development, for brain development, for proper development of a child’s physical. And also for the prevention of diseases. So I can’t stress the importance of nutrition. But we have to encourage people to know what to feed the child. Because saying healthy foods, what might be healthy in your eyes, might not really be healthy.”
Nutritionist at the Ministry of Health, Robyn Daly-Faber, tells us that obesity is not the only side effect of bad eating habits in children.
Robyn Daly-Faber
“We have what we call a double burden of malnutrition. A double burden means we have both overnutrition and undernutrition. So overnutrition is looking at obesity and overweight, and undernutrition is looking at stunting and wasting, which is having low height for age and low weight for age. So these are all a result of poor eating habits. And it starts very early, from children under five years old.”
Across the country, thousands of children reach for a snack at recess, but what are these children eating? Encouraging children to choose healthier food options is an integral part of tackling the issue. At Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School here in Belize City, Standard Six student Jauhn Orozco explains that the decision between what he wants to eat and what he knows he should be eating is a difficult choice.
Why do children prefer junk food?
Britney Gordon
“Why wouldn’t you go for one of maybe a banana or an orange or something like that?”
Jauhn Ororzco
Jauhn Ororzco, Student, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School
“Because it’s just too tempting to taste the chips.”
Britney Gordon
“Have your parents or your teachers been encouraging you and your classmates to make healthier decisions? “
Jauhn Orozco
“Yes, ma’am. They have. They’ve been saying to eat more oranges, and carrots. Because, I went to the eye doctor because I needed the eyeglasses because I’m on the device too much.”
Jauhn enjoys eating fruits and would likely be inclined to choose that as a snack if there was more variety in the servings.
Britney Gordon
“What’s been the hardest part of eating healthier for you?”
Jauhn Orozco
“It’s like the vegetables. They don’t really have. That sweet taste you taste in other foods. But I know it’s healthier for me and so I try to eat it as much as possible.”
Britney Gordon
“Which healthy snack is your favorite?”
Jauhn Orozco
“Probably the mangos. The mangos with with the hot sauce.”
Britney Gordon
“What do you think they can do to their snack options to make it something that you would want to eat?”
Jauhn Orozco
“They could put fruit salads, a mixture of different fruits. Not just selling it, onlyone fruit. A mixture of different fruits in one.”
For the past two years, Buttonwood Bay Primary School has been part of the Healthy Habits, Healthy Schools, Healthy Belize Campaign. It’s an initiative launched by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to promote better nutrition, physical activity, and hygiene in schools. Also offered to the students is a free feeding program, sponsored by the ministry. Acting Principal, Wendy Smith, says that the children have been receptive to the meals based on the menu options and the way vegetables are incorporated into the servings.
Making nutritious foods accessible to children
Wendy Smith
Wendy Smith, Acting Principal, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School
“Currently, we offer healthy snacks during break time like watermelon, mangoes, Oranges even cucumbers and the children enjoy that but for lunch, we have been providing different menus for them. Like today, we have black dinner and the infants love black dinner So we have different foods for them. We have rice and beans stew beans. We even had fajitas. We have quesadillas everything differently, but we incorporate the vegetables in them as well.”
Britney Gordon
“And in terms of ensuring that these lunches are also nutritious, don’t have too much salt in them. Is that something that goes into the planning process for these meals?”
Wendy Smith
“Yes, we take workshops. Basically, we have workshops with the cooks and the teachers, and the principal attend these workshops to see more or less what portion to give each child and what is the amount of seasonings and so forth to use on each meal.”
Students may be receptive to healthy feeding programs, however, the challenge lies in ensuring that they choose healthier snacks. Daly-Faber says that this cannot be pushed from one angle, but rather, tackled from all fronts.
Ensuring Healthier Eating Habits Among Children
Robyn Daly-Faber
“One of the challenges that we see is of course, behavior change the willingness to be open to having healthier options in schools. We also see some areas where availability or interference from outside vendors might be a contributing factor. And the willingness of, I would say the openness and the willingness of the school system to openly adapt to it. Because we need to have the entire school community be receptive and positively pushing this. It can’t be only when we promote an activity or a week that we see the change.”
Malnutrition exists across the Caribbean, which displays some of the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the Americas. To counteract the disparity in children’s nutrition, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition is pushing to implement front-of-package octagonal warning labels on snacks that are high in sodium or sugar to deter consumers from choosing less nutritious options. The initiative has not been implemented into CARICOM legislation, but several Latin American countries have begun adapting labels in compliance with the campaign. Sheena Warner-Edwards, Communications Officer for the HCC, explained the goal of the campaign.
“The selection of that particular label that spoke to persons, or that would assist persons in better, choosing or selecting a food that has less salt, we would say, because the label would read heightened. Or, in any case, after that individual purchased the product, they will be able to say about, would I consume this entire package, given it is high in salt? Or would I consume a quarter of the package and leave some for later or another day? So those are the kinds of measures again that the labeling standard would assist persons in doing. You know most people when they’re shopping they don’t have time to necessarily read the back of pack label.”
Over four hundred water and plumbing fixtures have been donated to the water boards of rural villages across Belize. Today, representatives from the water boards in the Cayo, Stann Creek, and Toledo districts gathered to receive donations from the Ministry of Rural Transformation. The equipment will allow each water board to connect households in their community to the village water system. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Water is one of the basic needs every person needs to survive. But for residents of rural communities, access to that may be difficult to come by. For decades, villagers have relied on wells and naturally occurring water systems for drinking and washing. Now, the Ministry of Rural Transformation is bridging the gap between these communities and access to this human right with the donation of four hundred and seventy-seven water meters and plumbing equipment.
Valentino Shal
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation
“Most systems now provide water to their villages twenty-four hours a day. Before, people used to have water five hours a day, six hours a day, and sometimes the systems would go down for weeks. We don’t have those problems anymore. For instance, in villages like Santa Rosa, San Roman, every dry season. No water. San Antonio, Toledo. They get water three hours a day. It’s a very big village. You can’t live like that. You should not live like that.”
CEO IN the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Valentino Shal, explained that for years, local water boards have worked diligently to ensure that members of the community have access to water, but now, the government is ensuring that is accessible twenty-four seven.
Valentino Shal
“But who will fix it? Who will change it? Who can we depend on? Nobody. Just ourselves. We have to do it ourselves. We have to do it together with the government and we have to do it together with our villagers and we have to do it together with our leaders and our board. And I think that we have been doing a very good job together, not just the government, but everybody here. I’m sure that you are proud of the work you have done in your own village, with your own water system. And so we will continue to push for the sustainability of these systems. We want water, people to have water twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year. We want water systems to have money in the bank. And we want people to make sure they’re very comfortable where whichever village they live in this country, it shouldn’t matter.”
The equipment is valued at one hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars. This year, the ministry has purchased and distributed one thousand, three hundred meters.
Oscar Requena
Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation
“One of the first things that we have done is to improve the efficiency of how we support water systems. We support them by drilling new wells, by cleaning existing wells, superchlorinating wells when they are contaminated, support our communities by putting in place water boards. Providing training and capacity building so that they can manage the systems. We have seen where we have donated thousands of meters to water boards to make them sustainable. And that is why we are doing this here today. Because the goal of this is to make our communities and water boards self-sustainable. What does that mean? It means that by using meters, people are going to pay a more equitable price more equitable price for the water that they use.”
The meters will allow for expansion through new connections, water regulation, and conservation, which will help each water board improve its efforts at self-sustainability. Minister of Rural Transformation, Oscar Requena explained that with the installation of the systems, residents will be more conscious of the amount of water they consume.
Oscar Requena
“Because without a meter, people go wash their foot, wash the car, wash whatever on the tap, just di run and nobody cares. But by having a meter, people are going to be more conscious. You know once I turn on that, the meter di run, and that means the cents di go and I have pay. It also means that it allows the water boards to collect more revenue. And that we have seen how that has changed where communities have implemented meters. Their income has increased, has expanded. And if your income increases, what does that mean? It means that you can take care of your expenditure. You can expand water. And when your systems go bad and you need to fix something, you have money to be able to do that. And you don’t have to be depending on the government or the Ministry of Rural Transformation. That’s the big goal.”
Minister of State, Ramiro Ramirez, highlighted the hard work of the members of the village waterboards and the Rural Community Development Organizations. He emphasized the need to provide stipends for the members on the ground ensuring that the needs of the public are met.
Ramiro Ramirez
Ramiro Ramirez, Minister of State, Ministry of Rural Transformation
“As he mentioned, now we have money and I’m glad that he mentioned that you guys deserve a better stipend. Because you work hard, all the insults goes to you. Once they don’t have water, they start to complain. But this ministry is doing our best and let us see who will put on Facebook that you guys are doing something good for them. So thanks to the RCDOs countrywide. Remember, meters are very, very good, very helpful. If you have a leakage in your system, that will show it because the price will go. It’s not only because a meter is just to affect you. The meter will never affect you. The meter will give you a service. Something that you don’t have to be twenty-four hours watching where is the leak. That will identify what is happening in your area.”
Independence Day is a celebration of political freedom and is set aside as a display of patriotism. On Saturday, however, a group of about thirty teachers felt the need to use that day to take to the streets during the Independence Day ceremony to hold a protest at the BTL Park in Dangriga. The intention was to get their message to the government officials who attended that ceremony. Today, Denise Flores-Henry, a teacher who spearheaded the protest, told News Five that teachers need their increments, and the protestors do not feel as if though the matter is being prioritized at the level of the Joint Unions’ Negotiating Team which meets with the government to discuss several concerns on behalf of public officers. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Bearing placards that addressed their concerns about not getting their increments for 2021 and 2022, and about their struggle with inflation, about thirty teachers from Stann Creek District silently protested the Independence Day ceremony on Saturday in Dangriga.
Denise Flores-Henry
Denise Flores-Henry, Concerned Teacher, Dangriga
“We wanted to voice our views and concerns of what’s happening with the increments that teachers are still waiting for. The key thing that we wanted to share is that the suffering is really to its extreme with teachers and there seem to be no urgency in this administration to try to resolve the issue. Most teachers right now are living on a salary that’s from 2020-21. The only increment – remember our increments were frozen in 2020. We were wondering, okay, why pay us for 23? Why not go 21 then 22? You understand then 23?”
The message the teachers wanted to send was that despite government’s consistent declarations of a rapidly growing economy, the reality for teachers is that they have to struggle with inflation on a 2020 salary. Denise Flores-Henry organized and spearheaded the event.
Denise Flores-Henry
“I want to give an example. I love eggs. Back then in 2020, a tray of egg was 5. 50, 6. 00. Today with the same salary from 2020, I have to purchase a tray of eggs at 9. 50, right? We’ll look at the cooking oil. The small 123 cooking oil was 3 75 in 2020. You buy that now? It’s 625, 650. Just to show you that the salary that we are still living on does not match the inflation rate and the cost of living. And so the increments that we are fighting for eases, you know, the impact, that heavy impact of inflation on us, the teachers.”
Teachers’ increments are not automatic and are earned, and Flores-Henry said that it’s only a percentage of teachers who would not receive increments, based on their performance.
Denise Flores-Henry
“The majority of teachers do qualify for the increments. We’re talking about a small number that would not qualify. So the majority of teachers do qualify and are waiting for the increments from 2022. Most teachers have gotten 2023 increment. No teacher has received 2022 or 2021 and that’s the issue.”
And while the event was not organized by the Dangriga branch of the Belize National Teachers Union, Flores-Henry is the Dangriga branch president of BNTU and explained that teachers in that district are more vocal about the issues.
Marion Ali
“Why is it that only the Dangriga branch or the southern zone, I’ll say southern zone, teachers that protested over the weekend?”
Denise Flores-Henry
“Because we’re just a vibrant branch. We have always been trendsetters. You understand? We’re not afraid to speak up. The other branches, you see, it’s all about the leader. You understand? It’s all about the leader. I tend to like action. There is a problem. We’ll find a solution. We need to act. That’s me.”
The demonstration went ahead without disrupting the Independence Day ceremony, but the teachers who protested are hoping that they at least got the attention of officials at the Ministry of Education. Flores-Henry says that now with only a 2023 increment, their salaries are not where they ought to be.
Denise Flores-Henry
“If they had given us the salary in, um, the increment in 2021, then when we would have gotten another increment in 2022, it would have, that increment would have increased, the amount would have increased, because your salary would have, right.”
Today, we contacted the Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca on the teachers’ protest. He is currently away, but he messaged us to say, and we, “we respect their right to protest but even the BNTU knows how much we have worked on this issue and resolved virtually all outstanding issues. If there are individual teachers who have not had their issue resolved they should visit with us at the Ministry of Education so that we can address it,”. We also contacted the BNTU National President, Nadia Caliz, who informed us that this matter is still on the table at the Joint Unions’ Negotiating Team. Caliz explained that the BNTU is quote, waiting on the Cost-Savings Committee to share their findings in November, unquote. She added that for the record, the BNTU has never reneged on the reinstatement of these two increments and that they regularly update their Council Members on the progress. Marion Ali for News Five.
Brazil is currently battling a series of record-breaking wildfires that are endangering key ecological systems and ravaging several regions of the Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal regions. The country is experiencing its worst drought in seven decades, and authorities report it has contributed to the staggering 57,312 wildfires this month, which has already exceeded the total for September 2023 in its entirety, according to satellite data from the INPE research institute.
These fires have caused significant damage to Brazil’s key crops, such as sugarcane, arabica coffee, oranges, and soybeans. “The soil lacks water. It is the worst water deficit in 40 years,” said Jose Marcos Magalhaes, president of Minasul, a major coffee cooperative.
Residents in nearby towns are choking on the smoke, with densely populated cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro at risk of fires approaching their limits, officials warn. About 60% of all wildfires in Latin America are happening in Brazil, according to officials.
Experts say a significant factor in the fires is human activity, with about a third caused by land clearing for agriculture. Deforestation and severe drought are exacerbating the situation. Rachael Garrett, a professor of conservation and development at the University of Cambridge, highlighted the role of these factors, stating, “Deforestation and drought are contributing heavily to the wildfires.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva noted that the Amazon is facing the worst drought in 40 years. “We’ve had severe droughts before in Brazil, but not to this extent… We are facing a gigantic drought … and a drought that has come combined with fire,” Lula said. He has urged the public to report suspected arsonists to federal police and has vowed to change the existing laws, which currently impose a maximum prison sentence of four years for such crimes.
The Amazon’s degradation is not only affecting Brazil but also neighbouring countries. Bolivia and Ecuador have experienced flight cancellations, evacuations, and school closures due to smoke.
Experts warn that further degradation of the Amazon would be “catastrophic” for the region’s already delicate ecosystems.
Speaking with Prime Minister John Briceño following today’s house meeting, the issue of the controversial land purchase which saw the Government of Belize acquiring fifteen acres of land from an Asian businessman for six point nine million dollars was brought up once again. The PM was asked whether the Attorney General’s ministry provided legal advice on the matter and whether it falls within the scope of the Finance and Audit Reform Act. Here’s his response.
Reporter
“Did the government get any advice from the Attorney General about land purchased by the government, if it falls under FARA to require open tender, in the case of the six point nine million [dollars]?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Yes, the Attorney General says it does not. It’s not under FARA.”
Reporter
“If the NTUCB takes you to court which it plans to, do you expect to win?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It’s their right, they can do as they wish and of course we’ve gone through the entire process and have been careful to ensure that what we have done is under the law.”
Reporter
“As former Minister of Natural Resources, how does land that doesn’t have infrastructure on it raise in value from the baseline which was one hundred thousand to one hundred and fifty of land sold in that vicinity?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I think that’s a question you need to ask the DPM. You’re trying to find a roundabout way to ask me the same question and I really can’t add no more to it.”
Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are on the brink of a deal that could reshape Ecuador’s financial landscape while bolstering efforts to save the Amazon rainforest. The two financial giants are crafting a debt-for-nature swap that would allow Ecuador to manage its debt more effectively in exchange for a commitment to environmental conservation.
This ‘deal’ involves refinancing part of Ecuador’s debt with a new, more favourable bond, with the extra savings earmarked for protecting the rainforest. Last year, Ecuador made headlines with the largest debt-for-nature swap ever, saving over $1 billion and aiding conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands. Now, this new transaction aims to reduce the country’s future debt payments and funding needs for the next few years.
Finance Minister Juan Carlos Vega expressed enthusiasm, highlighting the dual benefits of debt relief and environmental protection.
As reported by BNN Bloomerang, a representative from The Nature Conservancy mentioned in an email to Bloomberg that such projects hold “great potential” for assisting countries in achieving their conservation and climate objectives.
Similarly, on November 5, 2021, Belize signed a debt-for-nature swap with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an environmental organisation, which reduced the country’s external debt by a striking 10 percent of GDP. “It greatly improved the prospects for marine protection. Belize’s prime minister, John Briceño, said the deal would protect the country’s oceans and pave the way to strong, long-lasting growth,” reported IMF News.
Both Ecuador and Belize’s debt-for-nature swaps illustrate a growing trend of combining financial restructuring with environmental conservation. This approach sets a precedent for future collaborations between financial institutions and conservation organisations.
The Department of the Environment (DOE) announced key decisions on three major projects, highlighting a strong commitment to environmental protection. According to an official statement from the DOE, the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) has set important conditions to ensure that development does not come at the expense of Belize’s natural heritage.
For Fortis Belize Limited’s Chalillo Solar PV Facility, the NEAC required a revised Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a second public consultation. “An updated EIA report is to be resubmitted and a second public consultation is to be held,” the DOE stated.
The MW Collective’s Crawl Caye project received approval with strict conditions, including mangrove preservation and the removal of a helipad. A decommissioning plan for an existing solar farm was also mandated. “The environmental clearance be granted to the MW Collective with strict conditions,” the DOE stated, adding “the verification of the mangrove cover to be maintained and legally declared into a private reserve.” “NEAC also recommended that a decommissioning plan be incorporated for the existing solar farm and that the helipad be removed from the project concept,” the DOE continued.
In the case of Earlene Dixon’s Turneffe Atoll vacation home, only the residential part of the development was approved. Due to the potential adverse impacts on the marine ecosystems, the DOE stated that “the dredging component and the marina component of the development be removed and thus was not recommended for approval.”
The DOE confirmed it will follow NEAC’s recommendations and informed the developers of these decisions.
