Title: ENVIRONMENTAL DIAGNOSIS OF BELIZE
1ENVIRONMENTAL DIAGNOSIS OF BELIZE
BY Evaristo Avella
2OBJECTIVES
- Discuss a Summary of Belizes State of the
Environment - To Present Issues Affecting Belizes Environment
- To Discuss Issues of Concerns Pertaining to
Belizes Development
3PROFILE OF BELIZE
- Natural Resources Environment
- Belize has a total land area of 23,963 km2,
distributed as follows - 75.6 in natural vegetation (mainly broadleaf and
open broadleaf forests), - 9.7 under various forms of agricultural
production and fish farming, - 14.6 in other use
4PRINCIPAL LAND USES
- sugarcane,
- annual crops-mechanized,
- shifting cultivation (called milpa in Belize),
cattle grazing - annual crops under non-mechanized cultivations,
- tree crops,
- banana and shrimp farming.
5The Natural Resources of Belize
- a beautiful country with abundant
- rainforests, reefs, caves, waterfalls and
wildlife. - The famous barrier reef, with attractive beaches
and rich marine life, was Designated as a "World
Heritage Site" in 1996. - Belize boasts a large contiguous forested area
north of the Amazon, helping to form a critically
important corridor from North to South America. - As of 2002, about 42 of the country has been
legally declared as protected area
6DEMOGRAPHY
- Present population of Belize is approximately
240,000. - 1980 (145,000) was growing at 2 per annum as a
result of a natural rate of 3.8 per annum,
affected by an outward migration of 1.3 per
annum. - 2.7 growth rate in 2000
- Population density increased from 6.1 in 1980 to
9.3 pers. per km2 in 1996. - Internal migration (1980), 35 of the population
lived in Belize District, compared to 29 in 1991
28 in 2002.
7BELIZE CENSUS 2000 BY DISTRICT
-
- National Population by District, for Belize,
2000. - DISTRICT MALE FEMALE GROWTH TOTAL
- COROZAL 16,422 16,286 14.9 32,708
- ORANGE WK19,948 18,942 26.8 38,890
- BELIZE 34,035 34,162 19.4 68,197
- CAYO 26,417 26,147 39.5 52,564
- STANN CK 12,734 11,818 35.7 24,548
- TOLEDO 11,722 11,575 33.6 23,297
- TOTAL 121,278 118,930 28.32 240,204
- Source CSO, 2002
8THE ECONOMY
- Belizes Economy is based on
- A - primary industries ( agriculture, forestry
and logging, - fishing and mining)
- B - secondary (i.e. manufacturing, electricity,
water, and construction), - C - Service sectors (i.e. trade, restaurants,
hotels, transportation, communication, finance,
insurance, real estate, business services, public
administration and other services).
9Economy (Continued)
- All 3 sectors have grown proportionately with the
national economy, - hence maintaining their respective share
contributions, the most important has been the
services sector, (approximately 55 of the GDP in
1996). - The services sector is the only sector whose
relative contribution increased by about 4 over
the last 15 years (as a result of growth of the
tourist industry).
10POVERTY INCIDENCE
- Table 7. Percent of human population, poor
and indigent, and poverty levels by social strata - ----------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
----- - District Population Poverty among
- Poor Indigent Youth Elderly
Female Male - ----------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
------ - Corozal 26.7 8.7 25.6
19.4 27.3 26.0 - Orange Walk 24.9 5.0 27.5
44.0 25.6 24.2 - Belize 24.5 6.5 21.1
19.3 25.4 23.5 - Cayo 41.0 19.7 41.1 30.6
39.8 42.1 - Stann Creek 26.5 5.1 19.7
14.3 28.9 24.4 - Toledo 57.6 47.2 50.0
45.5 56.3 58.9 - ------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
----- - COUNTRY 33.0 13.4 31.6
27.6 33.1 32.8 - ------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
----- - Source Kairi, 1996 in Avila, 1999
11THE REGIONAL CONTEXT
12The Reality of our countries (Central American
Context)
- A high diversity,7 of the planet in 0.52 of
the earths surface . - 22 of its land under protection (11.5 million
hectares). - A high rate of deforestation, with 40 to 45
ha/hour, more than 350,000 per year. - Between 1990 to 1995 more than two million
hectares of forests were lost in Central America. - A large number of people in poverty or extreme
poverty, in some countries exceeding 70 of the
population. - In 1950 the population was 11 millions, 50 years
later 32 millions (3 times more). - Four out of every ten Central american children
are 14 years or younger. - More than half of the population live in rural
zones - A very high energy dependence on wood, more than
17 million persons depend on it. In 1996, 92 of
the production of wood was burnt (more than 30
million cubic meters/year). - The area of the region is 511.865 km2 of which
- 35 is covered with forest
- 17.5 under protection (only declared PA)
- 27 in over use
- 60 of soils are forested
-
13Estimated forest loss in Central America for the
period 1990 -1995, in thousands of hectares
14The Central American Context ... Forest Cover
Protected areas
million Has, 26,1 .
million Has 15,3 .
million Has, 22.6 .
- Total forested land area
- 32 Million hectares ,
- 60 of the total land area of Central America
15The Central American Contextpercent of forest
cover by country ()
16Some Issues (C.Am)
- Poverty, deforestation and the consumption of
firewood increase, while land degradation
continues - Every time the region has greater vulnerability
to natural disasters - There is a greater demand for Natural Resources
products and services, which become scarce every
time
17The Environmental awakening of Central America
10 years after Esquipulas II
- 1987 National Regional Environmental Profiles
- for the first time environmental degradation
and poverty are linked - 1989 CCAD Created the regional organ for
environmental policy includes ministers of
environment and natural resources. - 1991 Establishment of National Environmental
Commissions promoted by CCAD. Towards a
multisectoral approach of the environmental
problem - 1992 Formulation of Tropical Forestry Action
Plans for Central America. First exercise of
regional forest planning - 1992 Central American Agenda of Environment and
Development. - A regional initial diagnosis as a
working platform presented by the Central
American Leaders in Río 92. -
18The environmental awakening of Central America
10 years after Esquipulas II
1992 Earth Summit, Río 92. Convention on
Biological Diversity Climate Change adopted by
all countries. All countries of the region have
ratified the convention 1992 Central American
Convention on Biodiversity Priority Protected
Areas Regional agreement on the conservation of
biodiveristy and protected areas Creates the
Central American Counsil of Protected Areas
(CCAP) which includes the head of the NPAS - 1993
Central American Forest Convention - Regional
agreement to maintain forest resources, policies
towards reforestaion and regional coordination
creation of the council of forests (CCAB) 1994
Central American Alliance for Sustainable
Development (ALIDES) A regional political
strategy on sustainable development 1999
Strategic framework for the reduction of
vulnerability disasters in Central America
the relationship between environmental
degredation and vulnerability is recognized
19THE BELIZE SITUATION
- STATE OF BELIZES ENVIRONMENT
20OVERVIEW
- Belize economy is highly based on environmental
resources - Agriculture, Fisheries, Tourism,
- Low Demographic Pressure has helped to keep our
country in relatively pristine conditions - Several issues now leads to increase risks to the
environment
21SUMMARY OF EXISTING SITUATION ISSUES
- Basic Framework-
- While preservation of environment has been at
adequate levels, the following incidences still
require attention - 1)Inefficient land use (e.g. agriculture land use
where land is unsuitable) - 2) Deforestation continues at the rate of 10 to
12 Ha per year (Tremblay, 1996) - BBR (Now called the MBRS) is beginning to show
signs of deterioration. -
22Summary of existing situation issues (Cont.)
- While the Overall level of contamination of
rivers streams seems to be low, there is
evidence of water-related diseases - Contamination with agrochemicals, while existent,
is concentrated more in the sediments
23LAND USE MANAGEMENT
- 79 under forest cover gt42 under protection
-
24Land Use Management Key Issues
- 58 of Land Area is Public Land
- 600,000 acres under lease to private sector
- Privatization of public lands has increased (.6 M
or 10 of total is privately held) - Lease to purchase enables farmers to obtain
estate for commercial farming - Suburban sprawl increases due to greater demands
for housing
25Land use management (Cont.)
- Low standards for subdivision of lands has led
to - 1) poor roads and street construction
- 2) safe water supply sewage disposal
inadequate - 3) lack of adequate drainage
- 4) pollution of streams waterways
26Land use management (cont.)
- Land zoning
- Little guidance provided (SDA)
- Lack of coherent land use policy
27SOLID LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT
28- Current waste management systems are incompatible
with - - 1) Public desire for improved sanitary
conditions - 2) maintenance ofa health environment
- 3) eco-tourism development
-
- Solid waste are dumped in open dumps all over the
country, leading to odour, leachate, air
pollutants, unsanitary conditions etc.
29SOLID WASTE (CONT.)
- Industrial waste includes orange rinds from the
citrus industry (150,000 tons per year) - bagasse from the sugar industry
30Solid Waste Management Authority
- The SWMA established will over see solid waste
management throughout the country - This includes site selection of final sanitary
landfill and the establishment of financial
mechanisms to conduct the activities
31FORESTRY AGRICULTURE
- Fairly extensive forest cover 79
- Human financial resources inadequate to manage
this important resource - Threats include-
- 1. Inadequacy of resources for its mgt.
- 2. Pressure for resource use
- 3. Illegal logging
- 4. Poverty of small farmers
- 5. Inadequacy of land management
- 6. Agriculture expansion
- 7. Natural Disasters (hurricanes, diseases etc.)
32Forestry (Cont.)
33Positive Opportunities in Forest Mgt.
- 1. Importance recognized for watershed
protection, tourism, erosion control, etc, - 2. Large tracts of forest resources under
protection - 3. Experience of the sector
34Protected Areas Management
35Protected Areas Management (Cont.)
- Threats include the lack of adequate management
resources (financial, human technical) while - Opportunities include the existence of an ad hoc
National Protected Areas System Plan and the
efforts to establish a Protected Areas Policy - Establishment of PACT
- Belize currently boasts of more than 42 of its
national territory under protection - As ecologically important sites were identified,
these continue to be protected (e.g. Silk Cayes,
El Pilar, Corozal Bay)
36TOURISM MANAGEMENT
- Belize receives lt 1 of tourist visits to CARICOM
Countries - Over 133,000 visits to Belize in 1995
- 1994-95 Growth rate of 10.9 to 15.9
- Accounts for 15 of GDP
- Important Sector for Belize which is based on its
natural resources
37Tourism Mgt. (Cont.)
- Issues-
- Mass tourism needs to be controlled (carrying
capacity of sites)
- Opportunities-
- Consensus as to the protection of our resources
38COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT
- Belize has a tradition of prioritizing the
protection of the reef - BBRS Designated a World Heritage Site
- The BBRS is considered of regional and global
importance in terms of biodiversity - The Coastal Marine Environment is also of high
ecological diversity
39COASTAL ZONE (Cont.)
- Coastal Waters supports important species such as
crocodiles, manatees, marine turtles, and
numerous birds - Mangrove habitats are also important as key
habitat for juveniles of numerous fish species - Mangrove Sea grass beds also support coastal
stabilization during storm events
40COASTAL ZONE (Cont.)
- Threats-
- Nutrient enrichment from domestic waste other
nutrient enrichment leads to algal growth - Sediment dispersal from anthropogenic activities
such as mining, deforestation sea grass bed
alterations - Declining environmental conditions (including
water quality solid waste) - Disruption of ecological functions by
overfishing, hurricanes, uncontrolled diving,
sports fishing from fossil fuel from boating
activities
41OTHER ISSUES
- Most of the Population Reside along the Coastal
Zone - 80 of all tourist accommodations are in the
coastal zone - 70 of cayes claimed through ownership or lease
42FISHERIES
- Contributes 3.5 of GDP
- 26 M exports in 1994
- Approximately 3000 people employed
43FISHERIES SOME ISSUES
- Overfishing possible due to illegal catches (out
of season Undersized catches of lobster
Conch) - Attempts have been made to relieve pressure (deep
sea fishing) but unsuccessful - Aquaculture has both opportunities threats
- Environmental threats can be mitigated by
industrial responsibility
44Aquaculture
- The Shrimp Mariculture industry keeps increasing
in production every year. - In the year 2000, a total of 8,002,166 lbs. of
farm shrimp were harvested in Belize (A total of
5,027,351.5lbs. Of farm shrimp were exported in
the year 2000 (over 60 of the harvest), -
estimated value of more than 47.4 M. - Source Capture Fishery Unit, Fisheries
Department 2001).
45Aquaculture (Cont.)
- Opportunities-
- Significant employment can be derived
- Important foreign exchange earnings can be
derived if re-investment occurs - Industry has shown willingness to comply
- Can reduce pressure on native species (e.g. by
reducing impact of trawling)
- Threats-
- Effluent loading can lead to ecological impacts
- Lack of coherent policy Zoning plan may lead to
overuse of land etc. - Long term land use changes
- Belize still has several trawlers
46ENVIRONMETNAL HEALTH SANITATION
- Access to safe water has improved
- Most urban areas have access to potable water and
about 80 of rural areas - Sanitation Services- 75 urban 30 rural
(1995)
47Access to water and sanitation (1988) comparing
Belize and other countries in the region
- ( of population with access to services)
- Potable Water Sanitation
- Urban Rural Urban Rural
- Belize 100 75 75 30
-
- Costa Rica 100 84 100 93
-
- Guatemala 91 41 72 48
-
- Honduras 89 60 88 44
-
- Trinidad Tobago 100 87 88 44
- Source World Health Organization (WHO) World
Bank Estimates for Belize.
48ISSUES
- Inadequacy of water supply in some areas has lead
to waterborne diseases - 1995 135 cases of cholera
- High incidence of hepatitis B
- Most cases occur in the rural Toledo Cayo
Districts - Cost of water borne diseases is high
- Malaria is also another large problem
- Increase from 2,500 cases in 1986-99 to 5,000
cases in 1992
49Legal Institutional Framework
- Belize has a comprehensive set of legislation but
lacks adequate enforcement in some sectors - Laws have been continually strengthened (EPA
etc.) - Institutional strengthening has continued with
further strengthening required in some areas - Working agreements play important roles in
natural resources management
50PRIORITY ENVIRONEMNTAL ACTIONS
- Strengthening Land Management(land registration,
adjudication etc.) - Improving Waste Management(solid, liquid
industrial) - Reducing deforestation unsustainable
agricultural practices (MBC Climate Change
Projects) - Strengthening legal institutional capacity
- Enhancing Coastal Zone Management (administration
of coastal zone, fisheries management practices
aquaculture development)
51PRIORITY ACTIONS (CONT.)
- Coastal Zone (Cont.) monitoring management to
be improved (water quality monitoring etc.) - Financing of Coastal zone conservation
- Expanding use of financial economic mechanisms
for environmental natural resources management
(rational use of fees taxes)
52PRIORITY ACTIONS (CONT.)
- Breaking poverty environmental degradation
cycle - Developing a conservation strategy for tourism
- ACTION PLANS ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE NEAPS
PROPOSED ACTION PLANS
53(No Transcript)
54THANK YOU