Written by Administrator
Friday, 27 August 2010
The Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage formed on June 9th with two campaign issues on its platform. The first is a ban on offshore oil and oil exploration in protected area, and the second is the proper management of the oil industry. The Coalition has been growing in numbers to more than 40 groups including the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and the Association of Protected Areas Management Oraganisations, which has fuelled their fight with Government.
A petition that was launched in June has attracted 7,000 signatures, and now the Coalition plans to bring their campaign all the way to the home of Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega to attract more support. In collaboration with the Northern Tour Guides Association, the Coalition will hold a public consultation at the Crystal Auditorium tomorrow night to bring Orange Walk residents up to date. We spoke to two Coalition members to find out what will be discussed.
Edilberto Romero, Co-Chair, Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage
“There is a high risk of having an oil spill in the offshore and with our tides it could affect our rivers and also the fish there is Orange Walk that consumes a lot of fish from the sea. If that is is affected we can see areas that would be declared no fishing zones as has happened in the gulf of Mexico. That means that we wouldn’t be able to get out fish or would have to get it from somewhere else which would be more expensive. There is also oil exploration in land we are not against oil exploration in land. But we are against oil exploration in the protected area. Some of the protected areas have been established to protect our water shed which we use and if that is affected it would affect the water that we consume or the water that we use for irrigation or other purposes.”
Giovanni Brackett, Chairman, Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage
“Reckless development, development in the direction in which the petroleum is going in without proper guidelines is putting at risk our entire coastal economies and we are putting at risk land that is for logging and water resources. People who depend on our rivers.”
Edilberto Romero, Co-Chair, Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage
“We’re saying that they need to consider all the information and the impacts before they can think on exploring on the protected areas, on the river or on the offshore.”
As part of its campaign, the Coalition has attempted to engage Government and has met with the Minister of Natural Resources. But despite Government’s admittance that they are not prepared to tackle the environmental disaster that an oil spill would lead to, there has been little action.
Giovanni Brackett, Chairman, Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage
“We are saying to this government that you have the opportunity to hear the people to address an issue that is not being addressed. People are more learned and have seen what has happened in the Gulf in Australia and we have not seen any action. We want to see tangible action. The attendance will dictate to the government that there are people listening. They are not just listening in San Pedro or Belize or Placencia but also in Orange Walk.”
The public consultation will be held at the Crystal Auditorium at 7pm tomorrow. We invite you to tune in after the news for a special 26-minute video feature that looks at the impacts oil exploration could have in Belize.
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