The Department of Environment and the National Emergency Management Organization today opened two new offices on Ambergris Caye. There was a growing need for these two organizations - DOE to monitor the developments on the island, as well as keep an eye on the flora and fauna - and NEMO to ensure the residents of San Pedro are kept safe in times of disaster. The ministers for both these departments, Andre Perez - who is also the area rep - and Orlando Habet were at the opening today. Here is a snippet of their speeches.
Andre Perez, Minister of Disaster Risk Management
"I also committed to the people of Belize Rural South of establishing all the relevant departments that are in Belmopan. And key to this, of course, we have all the different departments. We have the immigration, customs, of course, Treasury has always been there, important to collect the funds that was the first one to be established."
"But all the other government departments, the Labor Department, everybody's coming in, of course, NEMO, very important as it relates to the islands. And in there, of course, we tend to say, well, DOE is not really needed."
"But on the contrary, an extremely important department, especially here for Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. For your information, up north, we say, why forestry? We've been up there, and the people of Hol Chan can tell you when you go to Bacalar Chico and you climb up that high tower there at the buildings there in the Bacalar Chico to the back up north, I actually have seen deers running, right?"
"People have seen ocelots and there's claims of also jaguars. So it's very vast. It's huge. It's a huge island. And just to put it in context, Ambergris Caye is even bigger than the Cayman Islands. So I'm just putting this into context to say, to thank Mr. Habet that he listened and he said, yes, I spoke to him and said, it's time to establish the Department of Environment and Forestry. And he said, yes, let's work on it."
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"The primary mandate collectively for these departments will be to ensure that the entire Ambergris Caye and surrounding areas, including Caye Caulker and the Caye Chapel, develop in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner."
"This will be done through operational advisory and regulatory strategies to address current and future anthropogenic threats to the islands, such as rapid tourism development, clearing of mangroves, the dredging of the seabed, landfilling, and improper management of liquid solid and hazardous waste. It will serve as a hub for much -needed collaboration, coordination, and advocacy, and will benefit people and the islands. As one of the fastest -growing tourism destinations, it is fitting to have these offices on Ambergris Caye that will primarily focus on compliance monitoring of developments and enforcement of environmental laws of Belize through a collaborative and regulated approach with other agencies."
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