AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment South Beach Meeting

Not only are they getting letters they are acknowledging them.
Here's what I got today.


Dear Harriette Fisher:



The Department of the Environment (DOE) acknowledges receipt of your email and thanks your for your comments with respect to the proposed South Beach Development. Please be informed that the DOE has reviewed your comments and has forwarded them to National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) for their review.



Once again, the DOE thanks you for your comments and assistance in ensuring that Belize's development is sustainable.



Regards,



Maxine Monsanto

DOE

Now that makes you feel like the system is working doesn't it!

I got the same response.

The San Pedro Sun reports on the South Beach meeting:

http://www.sanpedrosun.net/08-403.html

Chief Environmental Officer
Department Of the Environment
Ambergris Avenue
Belmopan City, Belize


To Whom It May Concern,

The San Pedro BTIA is very concerned about the EIA that was presented last week for the South Beach development project. We believe that all aspects of the proposed development be re- evaluated carefully in light of its location immediately adjacent to and partially within the boundaries of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
The Belizean Barrier Reef is the backbone of Belize's tourism industry. Survey after survey states that the majority of our visitors come to Belize for the Barrier Reef. It is our premier attraction.
Of course, once they visit the Barrier Reef they journey inland to visit our mainland attractions and add more revenue to our industry.

Hol Chan's importance to the nation's tourism industry cannot be overstated. It is one of the most visited tourist sites' in Belize. Its marine life annually attracts thousands of snorkelers, divers and sport fishermen. These tourists generate jobs directly for tour operators, tour guides, boat captains, marine park rangers, marine biologist, and office clerks to name a few. The hotels, restaurants, and bars, that host these guests generate additional jobs within our industry. Did I mention gift shops, local artists and golf cart rentals?

Our Government has now been asked to place this valuable natural resource at risk for a massive development. South Beach Belize is unsuited to its proposed location and surroundings. Their website www.southbeachbelize.com describes a densely developed community with buildings in an architectural style wholly unrelated to Belize. The 500 plus acres development would encompass property owned by Hol Chan Marine Reserve as well as the Maya site of Marco Gonzalez.

Constructing South Beach would require large scale destruction of the mangroves and sea grass beds that shelter and feed future generations of the coral reef fish and invertebrates that attract tourists to Hol Chan. Dredging would destroy coral and sea grasses directly and also add sediments to the water, thus reducing their light, smothering them and altering the areas nutrient levels and sources. The mangroves would no longer be able too trap sediments and filter the water surrounding Hol Chan.
Such activities have serious consequences for the health of marine communities, reef ecosystems and fish populations, a fact amply demonstrated by past construction of developments far smaller than South Beach.

Damage to the vitality of Hol Chan will not attract snorkelers, divers, and sport fishermen. Nor will Hol Chan be enhanced by the proximity and visibility of a small city. A reduction in fish populations and losts of visitors to Hol Chan will not support tour guides, boat captains, or workers in the hotels, restaurants, bars, and giftshops of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.
A diminished Hol Chan will adversely affect tourism throughout Belize as well as the country's tax revenues.The permanent jobs lost as a result of South Beach's construction and operation may well exceed the permanent jobs created by South Beach.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve cannot afford South Beach. Those who live, work and/or have invested on Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker cannot afford South Beach.The tourism industry in Belize cannot afford South Beach.

The San Pedro BTIA is not against development. The BTIA is a private sector organization promoting sustainable tourism, while maintaining the natural and cultural integrity of Belize.

The 2 main concerns noted when reading this thread and other previous ones mentioning South Beach seem to fall fairly evenly between the actual development of the area and the style of the proposed development.

I cannot help but wonder that if the Architectural concepts were changed to something more in keeping with the proposed location, would the opposition then become more concentrated onto specific addressable issues?

The villas have the same floor plans as at Reef Village but with different exteriors and the Hotels are so unsuitable in their exterior design that even someone in favor of development in theory may have strong feelings against this specific design?

If something is going to be built, and in country where elected officials seem to get rich regardless of which party they are affiliated with, this does seem likely, would the greater victory be to ensure that any project that is eventually approved fits better in the area than the current proposal?

I caught the tail end of a program about the destruction of Southern Florida, especially noting South Beach. Seems that it is all falling apart now.

I'd love to see a low density colonial style resort on the island - you know Victoria House and Cayo Espanto style.

In a perfect world the south end of the island would be kept as natural as possible - the amount of wildlife in the mangroves is staggering. A wild life park, walkways, walking tours, kayak tours, a museum, maybe a hands on discovery centre, marine nursery and preservation/conservancy centre, totally eco-tourism friendly.

Alas, this is not a perfect world.

The GOB has the ability to either purchase this land (eminent domain - whereby land is acquired by government, but the owner is compensated at fair market value) or exchange this land for some more suitable/less sensitive land either on the caye or elsewhere in the nation.

I am obviously pro-development, but I would be much happier to see sustainable, responsible development in a structured and managed manner that befits the culture and history and environment of the caye.

I had in mind a rescued bird sanctuary, crock pond, dauphin facility, rescued monkey sanctuary, manatee facility, Mayan museum at the Marco site, ect.ect.

I gather from South Beach's website that they would not be interested in this at all. In fact, they advertise as "Paradisse redefined." Personally, I think the new definiton sucks.