Cayo Rosario, a mangrove island on the west side of Ambergris Cay, is in the news again after the island’s owner/s stepped up activity on a project that would turn it into a high-end resort with luxury hotels on the island proper and cabins over the water. Back in 2010, the Amandala reported that a few years earlier the island had passed to private ownership as part of a compensation package “for a Caye Caulker property that the Government had reportedly sold twice.” From that time, residents of San Pedro had said that the island should remain in its pristine state.
Mangrove islands have been coming under increasing assault, and not only from large land developers. In 2017 when Cayo Rosario submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment to the Department of the Environment (DOE), the project met resistance. A 2025 report in the Amandala said the objection came from “tourism industry stakeholders and environmentalists alike, including tour guides and fly fishers who rely on the caye’s crucial habitat for protected fly fish species like permit, tarpon and bonefish.” The Amandala noted that “a subsequent application for judicial review brought by the Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development was unsuccessful” and “the tourism project was greenlighted.”
Cayo Rosario sits in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, and in 2020 the DOE concluded an Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP) for the construction of a number of buildings on the island—40 overwater bungalows, and piers. The ECP allowed for the dredging of 62,000 cubic yards of material outside of the conservation zone, instructed that the project would retain “no less than 25% of the mangrove/vegetative cover in its natural state”, and said that no permanent structure would “be allowed within the 66-foot reserve except for piers and over-water structures (cabanas).” In respect to the handling of sewage and grey water, the ECP called for “the sewage treatment system … [to be] strategically sited at a minimum of 100 feet from any natural water source.”
Recent activity in the sea, dredging and the driving of piles, was noticed by individuals who work in the area, and San Pedranos came out in droves in their boats to register their displeasure, dismay, with the obstinate developer and the government which has been hands off thus far. Responding to the calls from the groups that are fervently against the development, former Fisheries Administrator, Ms. Beverly Wade, who is now the CEO in the Ministry of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation, said the government totally understands “the residents’ hearts.” The Amandala said Wade “emphasized” that Cayo Rosario is a private island, and that in scrutinizing the project “the concerns of residents were taken into consideration to ensure, as much as possible, that what was being permitted would not negatively impact the marine reserve.”
Responding to calls from concerned citizens for government to acquire the island, as it had done to halt a project at Will Bauer Flats/Angelfish Caye when fly fishers who made their living in that area made a stand for the area to be let alone, the Amandala said Ms. Wade said, “It’s a very difficult position that the Government is in. It’s actually unrealistic to think that the Government would be in a position to acquire every area [where] you don’t want development to happen.” Wade said she is “convinced that if the development is properly monitored, it will allay the concerns of the opponents.” The project that was proposed for Will Bauer Flats/Angelfish Caye is miniscule in scope compared to the mega-million-dollar development set for Cayo Rosario.
7News, reporting on a meeting which it described as “standing room only, overrun with residents, tour guides, fishers, NGOs, and even the town’s PUP mayor”, said Hon. Andre Perez, the Minister of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation, who is also the area representative for Belize Rural South, which encompasses a number of cayes and includes Cayo Rosario, was notably absent.
7News journalist, Ms. Courtney Menzies caught up with Perez, and he told her he understood why San Pedranos are passionate in their opposition to the development. Perez told 7News that his government inherited the project, and that in a meeting with relevant departments “we agreed that we had to work more closely together in terms of when we’re issuing all these permits for development, not only for Cayo Rosario … [and that] we looked ahead into how we can do it better in the future.” Perez told 7News: “… we are the government, and we are not actually against our stakeholders. We are not against it. We are for development; but at the same time, we are very much in tune with what is conservation.” Perez said Cayo Rosario should NEVER have been sold.
Clearly, Minister Perez thinks Cayo Rosario is a bad project. He said the island should not have been sold. So then, why can’t we get it back? We are all too familiar with the tragedy when government sees a need to acquire/re-acquire land. When government sells a piece of land, it does so with the view/expectation that the buyer will develop/preserve the property, put it to its best use, while at all times respecting the laws of the land. When that happens, it is a blessing for the country, hence the almost giveaway price of land sold by the government. Woe to the national treasury when government comes to the realization that it made a mistake.
A perennial charge against the Ministry of Natural Resources is that dishonesty is endemic in the department. Another is that it is slow in the processing of land matters. That ministry has good reason to be thorough. A parcel that the government sells for a few thousand dollars costs millions when, in the interest of the people, they need to get it back. Invariably, the “lucky” buyer shows no mercy. The government’s failure is the Jackpot for them, sucked without hesitation, without the slightest feelings of guilt, from the national treasury.
Did the government sell Cayo Rosario with the belief that the owner would never get a pass from DOE for a major development? There are individuals/companies that will buy a parcel just for the purpose of keeping it in its natural state. A buyer would have “reasonable expectation” that they would be allowed to develop a property they acquired. A government came along and agreed with the owner of Cayo Rosario that there was a greater potential for the island than leaving it in its pristine state. And the DOE, which has access to the most talent available to guide our development, saw the possibilities.
The DOE thinks we can have our cake and eat it too, that fly fishers, tour guides, land developers, building contractors, laborers, entertainers, cooks, waiters/waitresses, maids, everyone will eat, everyone will win. Minister Perez doesn’t agree, but he is a single vote in Cabinet. What do the others in Cabinet, and the other 30 area representatives think? It is the kind of matter that might best be resolved in a referendum. It would be a great opportunity to educate us about the benefits that would be derived from the project, and what we would lose. All of Belize can’t be protected from “progress” because of the problems. If Belizeans don’t like the project, what would they be prepared to pay to get back the island?
Blessed and Happy Easter!
On Friday we reflect on the suffering of the Christ as He carried the cross all the way to Calvary where He was crucified. On Saturday we cross our fingers and toes that a Belizean will win the race. On Sunday we celebrate “our triumphant Holy Day”, the risen Christ. Alleluia!
It’s a long weekend. Those who will be behind the wheel, drive safely! Adults, keep a close eye on young ones, both children and youth, when they are in the water. Adults, don’t get drunk and go boating or swimming. A Blessed and Happy Easter to all!