Photo: Dredging at Will Bauer Flats, South Water Caye Marine Reserve
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Feb. 15, 2024
The Mining Unit at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining, has suspended all dredging operations by Angel Fish Caye LLC that were set to take place out at Will Bauer Flats, otherwise known as Angel Fish Caye, South Water Caye Marine Reserve.
The operation made headlines last week as a group of fishermen and local tour guides gathered to protest against the threat they believe the dredging would bring to both their livelihood as fly fishers and the conservation of marine life in the area.
“That area is actually not just a fly-fishing ground for permit and tarpon, it’s a top-notch nursery. We got queen conch all over there, all different kinds of crustaceans. The coral formation is pretty much untouched, and the mangrove formation is really intact. Something like that, [even] without all of the above, it’s a flat,” Eworth Garbutt, Belize Flat Fishery Association Representative and tour guide told Kremandala reporters.
“The government will never allow such things to happen, because the government you’re talking to is us, the people. People power is the power of the whole world. And our people will never allow such things to happen.”
The Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), on Wednesday, February 14, issued a release supporting the fishermen of Placencia and outrightly condemning any destruction of the country’s natural resources.
“The current dredging activities in this area pose a severe threat to the delicate balance of marine life and would jeopardize the sustenance of the local fishing community,” it read, calling on both the Department of the Environment (DOE) and the Fisheries Department to re-evaluate and halt any further progress.
“Very few people know that fishing alone brings in over a hundred million dollars into this Belizean economy on an annual basis, so it’s not just some mangroves or a sandbar, and we cannot just allow that to be destroyed, because of the reckless behavior of somebody sitting in an office in Belmopan. I think that people need to get consulted before any of these activities,” Maheia told us in an interview.
Amandala reached out to the Chief Environmental Officer at the DOE, Anthony Mai, who explained that the company receiving environmental clearance wasn’t an overnight process. In fact, the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and approval, date back to 2023.
The DOE initiated the process by setting terms of reference, which were approved and followed up by an environmental study conducted by a hired consultant. After reviewing the draft report to ensure it met the established terms, a public consultation was held for feedback.
The National Environmental Appraisal Committee, consisting of 16 environmental experts, recommended granting environmental clearance, which led to an environmental compliance plan (ECP), and once agreed upon, granted the official clearance.
“The environmental compliance plan is one of the strongest environmental tools that we have because it contains all the conditions under which the project should be constructed and operated. So, the ECP has conditions to reduce all the possible negative impacts that the project would have on the environment,” he assured.
With the ECP granting dredging of about 15,000 cubic yards of material to fill some of the low-lying areas, Mai says the EIA report was mindful of the fly-fishing zone voiced by the local fishermen.
But despite the developers receiving clearance from the DOE, there are still multiple other steps required before they are given the green light. “In terms of the mining, the developer still has to obtain a mining permit from the Mining Unit under the Ministry of Natural Resources; in terms of the building, the investor will still need to obtain an approved building permit from the Central Building Authority. If they want to build any pier, they will need to get permission from the Physical Planning Section of the Lands Department to be able to do that,” Mai said.
Today, the Mining Unit followed up on this protocol, writing a letter to Angel Fish Caye LLC and informing them of their project’s suspension.
Acknowledging their valid permit to develop, the Ministry’s decision was based on violations regarding:
- Conditions 6 and 8 of RQP No. 4 of 2024 require the containment structures to be in place before the start of dredging.
- Condition 15 requires that the Fisheries Department be notified before the start of dredging so that site visits can be arranged to ensure containment structures are in order.
“It must be appreciated that the short notice to the intended commencement of dredging operations was not adequate to mobilize staff from both agencies,” Inspector of Mines, Michelle Alvarez wrote.
The Ministry also notes their intention to resolve conflicts with “the users of this area”, i.e. the fishermen, before the resumption of this project.
We reached out to the Ministry of Natural Resources for an interview, but up to press time they have not responded.