Monday, April 21, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Thirty-five years ago, I became a certified scuba diver under the very stringent rules set by my instructor, Billy Leslie. Before each dive, he gave all of us specific instructions about how to avoid destroying the corals, or how even walking on the seabed could be destructive to the delicate marine life. He taught us that disturbing the fragile sea life, including the plants, could upset a very sensitive ecosystem. Even back then, he strived zealously to protect his reefs, his mangroves, his island of San Pedro, and the gifts and rewards that they have given to its inhabitants, and to the economy of the Jewel as a whole. While the rest of San Pedro was becoming a gold mine for foreigners, with some residents giving away valuable real estate for peanuts, Billy and his cousin, Elito Arceo, were trying to protect the island and its waters from overdevelopment.
Billy Leslie and Elito Arceo are two of our more dedicated environmentalists in Belize. Along with Mr. Garbutt from Placencia, they have stymied efforts to destroy protected areas through dredging and the clearing away of our precious mangroves, the major guardians of our sea life. They have stood up to developers who have the money and the power to get what they want. The way Billy described it in a recent interview, is that they build, sell, and the money ends up in foreign banks, not for the greater good of the people of Belize. Wat a ting!
This latest stop-order not extending the scope of development on Cayo Rosario, which would have encroached on protected areas, is a victory for environmentalists, for the people of the area, and for the Jewel. Apparently, the “Assistant Prime Minister” gave the developers carte blanche to achieve their goals. The hell with the negative environmental impact it would have created. The PM has since come out and said that she was acting on government’s behalf, but that only makes it worse. He claims that this development would increase our visibility with high-end tourism. Meanwhile, a whole lotta protected areas would be forever destroyed, to the detriment of the residents who would get the low end of the deal. A Faustian bargain, in my opinion.
This current government is haphazard, at best, when it comes to protecting our environment. It is doing its best to help prevent erosion in Placencia through cooperation and research; it terminated the Will Bauer project and Vulcan, but is now abandoning Belize’s breadbasket, San Pedro, by allowing unfettered access to, again, protected, fragile waters. I have seen recent photographs of deforestation in San Pedro, of its mangroves. Some areas resemble wastelands – that were once covered and protected by this special species. Mangroves, the only tree that survives in saltwater, and is credited with protecting some of our disappearing species, are being destroyed for greed and profit, without the slightest opposition from those who should know better.
Billy and Elito, and all those concerned about the future of their island and its surroundings, are to be lauded for their non-ending efforts to preserve and protect the lifeline of their existence. Developers are needed to give our economy a boost. But developers also have to respect the parameters of their projects, and not infringe on the rights, and on the heritage, of the locals. And the government has to always consult with those most affected by any development in their communities, and not just impose their will and the interests of others before allaying the concerns of the people. After all, we aren’t living in America, where a thug wants to control everything!
Once again, we should be thankful for guardians like Billy Leslie and Elito Arceo, and for all those concerned with protecting the environment, and their rights as citizens of San Pedro and the surrounding areas. No one, no matter how powerful, has the right to impose their will, for whatever reasons, on a population that has been, and will always be there, long after they are gone. And by that I mean the developers and governments alike.
I will always sing the praises of my native land. I will always love and respect and cherish its beauty, its uniqueness, its bounty, and most of all its wonderful citizens. Like our democracy, our very existence is fragile. Let us not allow it to be plundered and swallowed up by those who just see us as an investment. We are more than that; we are better than that.
Glen