BELIZE CITY, Mon. Aug. 15, 2022 The impact of climate change on the coastal areas and marine ecosystems in Belize is expected to be just as severe or in some cases worse than what is projected for small island developing states across our region. We have seen the erosion of coastlines and cayes, a noteworthy level of coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures, and the impacts of storms such as Eta and Iota, which have caused historic floods in the country.
The climate change reality is ever-present for Belize, and, today, after stakeholder consultations, the country launched its National Adaptation Plan to begin actively addressing its impacts on Belize’s coastal and marine areas.
The Ministry of Economic Development, which is the National Designated Authority for the Green Climate Fund in Belize, has played an active role in looking at the adaptation systems needed by the government to brace for the expected effects of global warming on Belize.
CEO in that ministry, Dr. Osmond Martinez, said that this national adaptation plan is the first developed for Belize that addresses the coastal areas, and he expects that they will determine what mechanisms and systems must be put in place, and will establish a proper system to collect empirical data, that will hopefully guide decision-making and policy.
He said that stakeholders, during consultations that have been held, highlighted issues pertaining to erosion and the need to replant mangroves along the coast, the rising sea temperatures, and sargassum problems, among many other issues.
Today, the Ministry of Blue Economy started its own consultation as a part of the adaptation project. In total, four Climate Change Vulnerability and Livelihood consultations for the coastal area and fisheries are planned in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization and Belize’s NDA, the Ministry of Economic Development.
“The consultations are a deliverable of the GCF readiness project entitled, ‘Enhancing adaptation planning and increasing climate resilience in the coastal zone and fisheries sector of Belize’, and will take place in Belize City on August 15 and 16, 2022; in Dangriga Town on August 19, 2022, and in San Pedro Town on August 22, 2022,” the release states.
This National Adaptation Plan project was launched in February 2022 and is said to be geared toward increasing the resilience of the coastal zones and fisheries sector in Belize to climate change impact. The improvement of data collection systems and the development of a comprehensive adaptation plan for the various sectors are key goals.
The main outcomes of the project, as outlined in the February press release, are “strengthened adaptation planning governance and institutional coordination, use of evidence-based design adaptation and solutions for maximum impacts in Belize, and increased adaptation finance.”