Belize’s world famous barrier reef – the largest in the Northern Hemisphere – has been designated as a World Heritage Site since 1996; but the World Heritage Committee, now holding its 33rd session in Seville, Spain, is considering whether Belize’s prized natural wonder should be added to the list of 28 sites designated as World Heritage in Danger.
The report of a recent monitoring mission undertaken by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) released to Belize in May said, “…the property is faced with specific and proven imminent danger, and should be considered for immediate inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger.”
The report goes on to say that, “…the government has been selling and leasing mangrove islands, though apparently, quite a lot of development on the islands already existed at the time of inscription.”
On May 25, the office of World Heritage Director Francesco Bandarin wrote Ambassador Bassam Said Freiha, Permanent Delegation of Belize to UNESCO, signaling that a joint mission, undertaken from March 23 to 28, had proposed that the Belize Barrier Reef be listed as a site in danger.
Belize should stop the sale and lease of lands in the World Heritage Site, and make the mangrove clearance moratorium implemented in 2008 permanent, the report indicates in its list of 15 recommendations.
A range of threats were identified, including over-fishing, loss of fish spawning aggregations, increased growth of macro-algae, illegal fishing, pollution, coral diseases, and pressure from increased coastal development/tourism.
It points specifically to the building of a hotel in Glovers Reef in 2003, heavy traffic of 10,000 visitors a year on Half Moon Caye, the loss of 29% of mangrove cover on the Pelican Cayes, an excessive amount of development on the mangrove islands on the site, and dredging and filling with corals and sand, apparently for real estate.
Stretching across 96,300 hectares in the Belize, Stann Creek and Toledo Districts, the 7 components of the Belize Barrier Reef that make up the World Heritage Site are as follows: (1) Bachalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, (2) Blue Hole, (3) Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, (4) South Water Caye Marine Reserve, (5) Glovers Reef Marine Reserve, (6) Laughing Bird Caye National Park, and (7) Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve.
The report claims that only three of the seven areas are managed as national parks, and afforded special treatment. There was particular emphasis in the report on the South Water Caye Marine Reserve—which has been described as an area with a unique ecosystem, but for which the government had issued 79 grants and 58 leases between 2004 and 2008.
The concerns over the Belize Barrier Reef’s listing as a site in danger have triggered openly fierce political debate over who is to blame.
Speaking at Friday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources, Gaspar Vega, read off a list of leases and grants issued under the previous administration, putting the spotlight on transactions done while Leader of the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP), Johnny Briceño, held the lands portfolio.
Vega said that under Briceño’s stewardship, the PUP embarked on a self-destructive program to rob Belize and the people of the world through the sale of land from “this precious site.” He also referred to transactions approved by another former PUP lands minister, Florencio Marin.
Properties were issued at places such as Tom Owens Caye, Lawrence Rock Caye, Wiparri Caye, Cat Caye, Bread Butter Caye, Lark Caye, and Saddle Caye. Acres were sold for a few thousand dollars.
Vega also pointed to an attempt by the last PUP administration to issue 3,000 acres to Caribbean Developers Limited in the Bachalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve back in 2007 – a move abandoned due to fervent protests from Belize’s conservationists.
Vega claimed that the lands ministers must have known what was happening, because every file had information on the name of the persons receiving the land, the size and the amount paid, and every file had a map.
Without specifying details on the transaction, Vega said that on one occasion, the then Commissioner of Lands had advised the minister (then Briceño) that a conditional lease should be granted “with no further development because the land is inside a reserve.”
“He still went ahead and issued the lands,” said Vega.
Speaking with our newspaper today, Leader of the Opposition Johnny Briceño said that had he known the lands were in the World Heritage Site, he would not have approved the transactions.
Answering to allegations by Vega that he approved a transaction, despite the caution from the then Commissioner of Lands that the land is in a reserve, Briceño said that the file appeared to have been an old file, suggesting that the transaction could have happened even before the designation of Belize’s Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Site.
“I am in no way trying to pass blame for actions or decisions that I made when I was in the ministry. I take responsibility for decisions made,” said Briceño.
He told our newspaper that Cabinet had come up with a National Protected Areas System plan, and was considering setting up a statutory body to manage the protected areas, which would have set up a system to remove those lands completely from the jurisdiction of the lands department, thereby eliminating the chances of Government issuing leases or grants on the Barrier Reef System.
The UNESCO/WHC report does recommend that Government set up a properly staffed National Protected Agency.
We note that while much blame is being cast at the former administration for the endangerment of Belize’s listing, the UNESCO report did point to current concerns over the management of the Belize Barrier Reef system.
It noted that just this February, the DOE posted an Environmental Impact Assessment document for the Yum Balisi development on Fisherman’s Caye, also known as Cat Caye/Pelican Caye.
It also pointed to future possible threats to the system, taking issue with the fact that Belize’s entire coast has been parceled off for oil exploration.
“Concessions for oil and gas exploration could soon pose a potential threat to the different components of the World Heritage property, since all the coast has been mapped in concession blocks, apparently not excluding the World Heritage property,” the report said.
“It should be clear that this threat will not be permitted within World Heritage site boundaries, or in adjacent areas if this would also threaten the values of the property,” it added.
The UNESCO/IUCN mission recommended that Belize be asked to take specific action and report back by next February, 2010.
According to Vega, earlier this year, the government passed a statutory instrument, with new zonation and management regulations that are appropriate for a World Heritage Site.
As we go to press, our newspaper has received no indication of whether a decision has been taken on the recommendation to list the Belize Barrier Reef System as a World Heritage in Danger.
Latest reports released today say that Germany’s Dresden Elbe Valley had been axed from the United Nations World Heritage Site listing today. It is the second landmark to meet that fate.
Meanwhile, the Committee removed Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, South of Russia, from the danger list, after notable improvements in the preservation of the ancient city.
The WHC meeting continues tomorrow and concludes on Tuesday, June 30.
Some of the properties parceled in the World Heritage Site:
Sapodilla Cayes:
The entire Tom Owens Caye was leased to Caribbean Cayes Enterprise Ltd. in 2002.
The entire Lawrence Rock Caye was granted to one Liz Sandoval in 2007.
2.48 acres of Long Coco Caye was sold to Charles Benjamin in December 2007 for $4,191.20.
2.69 acres were sold to Indira Loague in December 2007 for $4,546.10.
South Water Caye Marine Reserve:
Wiparri Caye – 1.02 acres leased to Julian Cabral in 2002
Cat Caye – 2.4 acres via grant to Dennis Lampella in 2007
Cat Caye – freehold title granted to David Fabro in 2007
Bread Butter Caye – 2007 lease to Ingrid Miller
Peter Douglas Caye – Marcus McKenzie lease in 2001; Enfield Andrews lease in 2005
Twins Cayes – Primrose Gabourel lease of 15 acres in 2006; Harry Core lease in 2005; Herbert Nicasio lease in 2006
Lark Caye – Norman Leslie grant for 2.9 acres in 2007; Dean Bennett grant in 2007; Emily Sarmiento grant in 2007
Saddle Caye – Olvero Faux grant in 2006 for 2 acres