Category: Environment

If you’ve eaten from Thelma’s Kitchen before, then you know her food is very tasty. The last time we visited with Thelma Arana, it was to do a positive story about the variety of creole food she cooks daily at her Caesar Ridge Road address. But today, the story isn’t that good. In fact, one of Thelma’s neighbours has made a complaint against her business, claiming that the smoke that emanates from there is affecting her family. So, we stopped by to see what the issue was. We discovered that it is a barbeque grill that Thelma uses occasionally to boil the ingredients for her boil-up. But the next-door neighbour says the smoke issue occurs daily and that she wants it to stop. Thelma says the problem between her, and the next-door neighbour precedes the opening of her restaurant and involves other matters. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting

A resident who lives beside a restaurant has gone public to complain about the challenge she has been having ever since the establishment opened up about ten years ago. Everyone in the Yarborough/Caesar Ridge Road area knows Thelma’s Kitchen. While many of you have enjoyed her food, her next-door neighbour, Betty Bradley, says she has not been enjoying the smoke from the restaurant.

Betty Bradley, Caesar Ridge Road Resident

“The neighbor has a restaurant, right, and I nuh have no problem with that, because everybody has to live, right? And deh thing deh, but then this is going through so many years I’ve been through. The neighbor light up a fire hearth every morning, soon da morning, and I live here, and that’s the smoke that wake me up. I can’t inhale. I have my family and everything there. My granddaughter gets sick offa the smoke.”

Bradley says that in the past, she had complained to the Belize City Council about the problem and that it had subsided. She now claims that the smoke is back daily. But Arana says that she had followed the Belize City Council’s directive and stopped using her fire hearth altogether and switched to custom-made gas stoves for cooking. She admits that twice a week she uses a barbeque grill for a short while because it is more affordable than butane.

Thelma Arana, Owner, Thelma’s Kitchen

“Da wa small barbecue grill I use. It’s not a huge fire weh yoh wudda say wa mek big fire or big smoke. I only light the fire on Thursdays and Fridays. We have to boil a huge [pot of] plantains, and that’s just for one hour. And Fridays, I had to boil the potatoes, the cassava thing, just for one hour, and then I out it. And then you have to boil deh pigtail, you have to boil all this stuff. I have to buy gas like once every time and maybe sometimes twice a week.”

Thelma Arana believes that the complaint stems from an old issue between them. Today when we showed up, the barbeque grill was not in use. Thelma says that to avoid a confrontation with her neighbour, she will consider giving up use of the grill as well. One thing both neighbours agree to is that they both have had differences in the past that had nothing to do with smoke.

Betty Bradley

“This lady has a thing against me, right? And she know the reason, right?  All I want…”

Marion Ali

“It has to do with more than just the fire hearth stove?”

Betty Bradley

“Well, I think so.”

Thelma Arana

“My property was a little higher than hers and when it rained and then the water goh eena fi she yard ih cuss mi fi that. I can’t stop rain.”

The Belize City Council sent a representative today to Thelma’s Kitchen, to inform her that she will have to stop using the grill. She has told us that she will. Marion Ali for News Five.

Chief Executive Officer, Doctor Kenrick Williams is in Nairobi, Kenya where he is attending the Sixth United Nations Environment Assembly.  For Belize, the assembly provides a space to update the global community on its national efforts to address environmental and climate issues.  Similarly, it serves as a platform to urge world leaders to deliver upon commitments and support developing states like Belize.

Dr. Kenrick Williams, C.E.O., Ministry of Sustainable Development

“Belize is pleased to present its highest commitment and dedication in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.  Since our last meeting at this assembly, Belize has been working arduously to meet its national, regional and international commitments.  With respect to climate change actions, Belize recently introduced the Climate Change and Carbon Markets Initiative Bill.  This legislation will set up structures and systems aimed at meeting our commitments under the UN, CCC and the Paris Agreement.  These achievements will additionally place Belize in a position to diversify its financing mechanism and enter the international carbon markets to finance our low emission resilient development.  Belize continues to be a net carbon sink which is due to its adequately conserved, managed and enhanced forest resources.  In line with our government’s Plan Belize Agenda, we have adopted a national forest restoration strategy which aligns with Belize’s pledges to the bond challenge where we commit to restoring a hundred and thirty thousand hectares by 2030. In line with the global biodiversity framework, Belize is now updating its national biodiversity strategy and action plan to continue to meet the urgent action of halting and reversing biodiversity loss and to put nature on a path to recovery.”

The National Hydrological Service of Belize is seeking to secure a tri-national groundwater management collaboration with Mexico and Guatemala. Belize already holds such a partnership with the neighboring countries, but now aims to elevate the project in order to maintain its groundwater reserves. Today, a groundwater conference was held at the Belize Civic Center with representatives from various organizations to discuss the resource preservation. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the event for more information.

Britney Gordon, reporting

In an effort to preserve Belize’s groundwater reserve, the Belize Hydrological Service held a workshop alongside partners at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Green Climate Fund. The workshop aims to secure international agreements with neighboring countries that will ensure the adequate management of water resources in the region. Tennielle Hendy, Principal Hydrologist at the National Hydrological Service, gave us some more information.

Tennielle Hendy, Principal Hydrologist, National Hydrological Service

“What we’re hosting today is an internationally shared aquifer resources management workshop. Belize has transborder watersheds. We have five. All of them we share with Guatemala, and one we share with both Guatemala and Mexico. We have a dependency ratio of thirteen percent which means that we rely on our neighboring countries for our water resources. So it’s critical for us to foster partnership, cooperation, collaboration to manage this very delicate and finite resource.”

Hendy explained that Belize holds several partnerships in order to manage the country’s water reserves and is on its way to securing collaborations that will provide a more in-depth monitoring system.

Tennielle Hendy

“So we have collaboration, both in country, and we have with our regional partners. So Belize has a by national water commission with Mexico, of which ConAgua, which is like their IWRM agency in Mexico that collaborates with us on several different actions. We’ve completed quite a number with them. We’ve done a water quality monitoring program on the Corozal Bay, the Rio Hondo, looking, at what’s the pollutants coming out of that system that we share. We have next up for us to establish a binational monitoring system with Mexico and Belize. So we’re looking forward to that. With Guatemala, we have water quality discussions through the joint OAS committee which fosters collaboration between us and Guatemala as well.”

In attendance at the event was a Science Sector Program Specialist at UNESCO, who shared what kind programs are being implemented by the organization when working with Belize.

Alibek Otambekov, Science Sector Program Specialist, UNESCO

“We have different programs that make a specific focus on the transboundary issues and one of them is Menin Biosphere, which advocates and promote the Biosphere Reserve and Geoparks, including transboundary Biosphere Reserve. There are about twenty-two Biosphere Reserves worldwide, which are serving across the different countries. And also there’s a program of intergovernmental hydrology program in the science sector, which serves the water issues related to climate change and to disaster risk reduction and this also bring our focus to Belize issue of the transboundary issues with with Mexico and Guatemala.”

Hendy stated that the main objective for this workshop is to secure another tri-country project with Mexico and Guatemala, which would allow for a more dynamic management system to be implemented in the countries.

Tennielle Hendy

“We’re hoping that we can get a tri-country project. We have one, which is where what’s what we’re presenting here today on the Yucatan Peninsula on the aquifer, and we’re looking forward to having more actions like this. But we want to upscale. We’re trying to pilot dynamic water resources assessment tool, which was said before, in the speech that is like your bank account. It’s like your water bank account. We need to know how much water is there. What can we take out? What do we need to leave for ecosystem services? What can we, I don’t want to say waste, but what can we, have not so much control over? But for that, we need groundwater information. We need to know the thickness of the aquifer. We need to know how much water is down there. What’s How long will it take to recharge that aquifer? Right now we’re operating on limited information and so we are trying to advance this knowledge, so we’re hoping that we get another project that will help us to delve deeper into getting the information we need so that we can create the water balance for Belize. If you’re off balance, you fall down. And we don’t want to do that.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust has been quietly working behind the scenes to provide several N.G.O.’s and conservation organizations in Belize with the necessary funds to keep the country’s natural resources safe and thriving. The work that PACT does is an essential part of preservation work in Belize, as there are currently one hundred protected areas that form a vast national protected areas system. In order to learn more about that process, we visited their office today and spoke with Conservation Investment Manager, Ismael Teul. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with tonight’s episode of Belize on Reel.

Britney Gordon, reporting

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) was established in 1996 and at the time, Belize was considered a pioneer with the passing of the PACT Act. Today, the protected areas landscape continues to take shape and expand. Currently, there are one hundred and three  protected areas that form a vast national protected areas system with categories that include forest reserves, natural monuments, and archaeological reserves. After over twenty-five years, PACT has evolved from a grant-funding mechanism and works hand in hand with NGO’s and other environmental organizations to preserve these natural resources in Belize. PACT’s conservation investment manager, Ismael Teul broke down that process for us.

Ismael Teul, Conservation Investment Manager, PACT

“What we do is we’re a Financing institution for what we would term or call the National Protected Areas System, right? What that is simply all the protected areas functioning as one  entire system. And our primary role is to see how we get funding  so that they work of protecting the environment, providing clean air, clean water, and of course, protecting our natural resources could continue.”

Teul explained that PACT uses a system in order to enact its funding mechanisms. In a given period, PACT may fund twenty to thirty areas but each area is assessed on how it benefits its bordering protected areas.  By targeting areas with heavy impact on the ones surrounding it, the number of protected areas is expanded.  Teul further explained that a national assessment is carried out in order to choose what areas will be targeted. The Bladen Nature Reserve, Chiquibul National Park, Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary are just a few of the areas Pact  has partnered with in the past.

Ismael Teul

“And so it’s, what PACT does is it doesn’t grant,  in the traditional sense of the word, funds, but it invests. So it provides financing to a protected area that in a three year period, four year period we’re expecting returns on that investment. Now, the key here is that we’re not expecting financial returns as a bank would work, but we’re expecting more conservation returns. So it’s okay, the water quality, if it was a polluted area. Did that pollution go down? If it was to protect a endangered species, what’s the population count at the end of the four year period?  It’s those conservation returns that we look at as PACT”

Teul further explained that PACT’s mission goes beyond just the environmental impacts, as it carries over into all sectors of Belize and PACT’s mission ultimately seeks to ensure the safety and longevity of the country.

Ismael Teul

“Our natural environment really is the heart of our economy.The tourism industry, for example, is one of our largest industry, but the protected areas is actually the natural attractions that we bring to the ecotourist market.  Also, we have agriculture which is our second largest industry in the country. And so, providing that, safe water or that water for the agricultural lands, providing the trees for carbon and processing. And so we have a lot of natural assets still within our country that if we don’t protect them and use them sufficiently, then we affect the wellbeing of. of the Belizean people, right? Further to that, you also have indigenous communities. You have local communities that depend on the protected areas.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

The University of Belize and The Nature Conservancy collaborated on a two-day workshop in which students learned about regenerative farming practices in order to boost efficiency and sustainability. News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the University Of Belize’s Central Farm Campus today to learn more about it. Here’s the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Students at the University of Belize’s Central Farm Campus are on their way to pioneering the next era of sustainable agriculture. The university collaborated with The Nature Conservancy which is hosting a two-day workshop for students to learn how to use the resources on campus and new techniques to reduce the agriculture sectors impact on the environment. Ub’S Livestock Lecturer, Daniel Juan spoke with us about this endeavor.

Daniel Juan, Livestock Lecturer, U.B.

“So UB partnered with the Nature Conservancy through Dr. Chi to design and implement a silvopastoral system.  And a silvopastoral system essentially is trying to find mechanisms and protocols to see how we can incorporate as many trees and shrubs and plants into existing pastures that have livestock already, so that we can improve, primarily, profitability for the farmers, but also to enhance our ability to safeguard the environment.”

Juan stated that this phase of the project is almost complete.

Daniel Juan

“So this project, we are implementing it here at the university, we are creating a model farm. We are almost at the end of the first year of the implementation phase and part of what we do is, we involve our students and we also involve partners like other livestock farmers and we also invite other stakeholders for workshops such as this where we disseminate the, our findings to date and we make recommendations as to how to proceed.”

We also spoke with Titus Lightburn, a Climate Smart Agriculture Major at the university, to hear what he’s taken away from the workshop thus far.

Titus Lightburn, Climate Smart Agriculture Major, U.B.

“You learn about you being sustainable and being more efficient as in, the rule of thumb is for one cow is two acres of land. So if you have ten cows you need twenty acres, but now at these workshops you’re learning I don’t need as If I want to raise thirty cows, I don’t need sixty acres or whatever. I can do it on twenty. I could do it on thirty acres, one acre per cow, but simply it’s all about how you rotate them in the pasture, what kind of supplemental feeding you’re giving them and stuff like that. So you learn to be way more efficient and way you learn to make more money. So by being efficient, you learn to make more money.”

Luciano Chi, a Regenerative Agriculture Specialist, explained that this workshop and the implementation of its lessons are just part of TNC’s strategy to reduce the agriculture sector’s environmental impact. There are also plans to target the wheat and sugar industry in upcoming projects.

Luciano Chi, Regenerative Agriculture Specialist, TNC

“So one of the components of the program with the University of Belize is a model farm where we can prove all the different practices that are important inside a silvopastoral system. The component also has a training component to it that allows for practicing this practices on the training our farmers in all of these practices that we are evaluating at the field level. So again, the model firm serves as a school for our farmers, but at the same time we are providing them with the technical knowledge to training to the training component that will improve their knowledge and their skills in management of livestock.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.