Tourism development, reef damage puts Belize on UNESCO endangered list

BELIZE — After more than a decade of political corruption and government mismanagement that failed to protect the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site from tourism developers, UNESCO relisted the site as endangered.
Officials of the World Heritage Committee told CDNN that tourism is the primary threat to several sites within the Belize Barrier Reef system where developers have been allowed to buy up properties, cut down mangroves and dredge within fragile coral reef ecosystems.
Last March, a UNESCO field survey team visited Belize and among seven marine reserves that comprise the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site, they found severe damage at Pelican Cayes within the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, and evidence that developers have been allowed to buy up large tracts of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve.
At the end of May, UNESCO released a report blasting the government of Belize for its failure to responsibly manage and protect a World Heritage Site.
"The property is faced with specific and proven imminent danger, and should be considered for immediate inscription on the list of World Heritage in Danger," the report concluded.
Government officials in Belize, including opposition leader, John Briceno, denied colluding with developers to exploit properties within the seven reserves of the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site.
Briceno, who signed off on thousands of property deals during his tenure as Minister of Natural Resources between 2004 and 2008, said he didn't realize he was approving the sale of land within the seven reserves of the World Heritage Site.
According to Manuel Heredia Jr., Belize's Minister of Tourism, UNESCO officials got it all wrong.

Heredia admitted that tourism developers have done bad things in Belize, but said the damage was done in the past.
"I feel that personally what (UNESCO officials) were referring to or what they saw on their visit to Belize is more of what was occurring in the past," Heredia said.

As proof the Belize is now marching to the beat of eco-friendly tourism development, Heredia pitched his long and personal relationship with the Coral Reef Alliance and eco marketing groups that work with governments, industry and developers to promote "sustainable" tourism.