San
Pedro Daily  |
Monday, July 20,
2009 Belize's Only Daily |
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Protected marine
areas
are a huge success! 
The
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. René Montero, has
been
speaking about the importance of protected marine areas and their
impact in providing sustainable harvests for the Belize fishing
industry.
In 2008 and 2009 he said, his Ministry had approved no less than twelve statutory changes to expand and protect areas at Hol Chan, Cangrejo Caye, South Water Caye, Sapodilla Caye, and Caye Caulker Marine Reserves. These Statutory Instruments also introduce measures which further protect Belize’s populations of spiny lobster, conch, Nassau grouper, herbirverous grazers which clean and protect the reef and the Sea Cucumber. “These legislation aim at strengthening the man- agement and effectiveness of the marine reserves, and also the management regimes governing the sustainable use of commercial species currently exploited in Belize. “They also focus on the conservation of key species and ecosystems critical to the health and integrity of the Belize Barrier Reef system and to fisheries as a whole”, the Minister said. He announced that development within any marine reserve now requires a low level environmental study. Development in any conservation zone requires a full impact assessment. “Marine Reserves”, the Minister explained, “are fishery management tools employed by the Fisheries Department to ensure the viability of fish stocks. They also enhance biodiversity and are areas of research, recreation and environmental education.” Mr. Montero explained that general use areas of the sea are extractive zones, that is, fishermen may go to any general use area to fish. Conservation and preservation zones are off-limits to fishermen. Government monitoring has shown that one square mile of protected area in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve has 600 percent more conch biomass than the rest of the country. “Whenever the conch season opens over 20 vessels are observed fishing on the outside boundaries and general use area of the reserve, benefitting from the spill-over effect”, Montero noted. The fisheries sector in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is “a new frontier with great potential”, Minister Montero noted. “It continues to play a significant role in the national economy, and it is critical that we maintain its current contribution and further enhance it in the future”. Mr. Montero spoke also of the role of the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute. “The revitalization for the Coastal Zone Authority and Institute, we feel, is critical”, he said, “to the sustained management of our fisheries and coastal resources.” The Authority has been reestablished to help the Ministry to develop policies for coastal management to allow closer collaboration between ministries with overlapping responsibilities for coastal management. The new Coastal Zone Authority is headed by Mr. Gabino Canto, CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries. Other board members are Ms. Beverly Castillo, CEO in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Mrs. Yvonne Hyde, CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development, Dr. Thippi Thiagarajan, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Belize, Mr. A. E. Bouloy Jr. Representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Lindsay Garbutt, Representative of the Association of Protected Areas Management Organization, Mr. Vincent Gillett, Secretary and CEO, Coastal Zone Management Authority and Mr. Colin Gillett, Director of the Coastal Zone Management Institute. Reporter Talent
Leadership course
gets under way in Dangriga 
For
the first time, academically gifted students from the United States,
the United Kingdom, and Belize are coming together for study and
service in a new partnership between the prestigious Duke University
Talent Identification Program (TIP) and Belize’s Petters Research
Institute (PRI).
Fifteen students began their intensive coursework in Business Leadership on July 10. The program will run until July 23. Within the context of globalization, students are studying leadership styles, models and skill building, and they are gaining an understanding of their own personality and strengths as a business leader in today’s increasingly global world. In teams of both academically gifted Belizean and Duke TIP students, they are researching and analyzing one of three emerging Belizean market areas: Ecotourism, Energy-Oil, and Technology, for which they will create a final project. The projects will be presented in a symposium at the end of the program. The students are a culturally diverse and gifted group and many have talents in areas beyond Business in the Humanities, Arts and Sciences. This creates a multi-faceted experience for the students and staff alike. All students undergo a rigorous application process to join the program, and the four Belizean students were part of a nationwide search amongst Belize’s best and brightest. By introducing DukeTIP’s US and UK students to gifted Belizean students, the Duke TIP students will broaden their perspective on the world and increase their international understanding of the lives, thoughts, and challenges facing students from a nation with an emerging economy. They will gain a hands-on appreciation of how all people are tied together as stewards of each other’s well being. This culturally-blended and service-oriented program will enable Belizean students in particular to set their course towards business leadership roles in the nation whereby they attain higher education and bring their entrepreneurial innovation, knowledge, and skills to provide 21st. century leadership, developing Belize’s human and natural resources to compete in a global economy. Students have begun their trip by engaging in various service projects including donating computers to both the Mayor of Dangriga Town and educational institutions like the Adult Learning Center, as well as participating in a beach clean up. They will continue to give back to the community throughout their time in Belize; discovering not only business practices, but also incorporating social responsibility and service learning. A total of 30 computers will be donated in Belize through Duke University and the Petters Research Institute in collaboration with the Belize Defence Force. It is expected that this two-week gifted-students program alone will inject some $94,000 (BZE) in value into the economy. The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a non-profit educational organization that is recognized as a leader in identifying and serving the educational needs of academically gifted youth. Through identification, recognition, challenging educational programs, information, advocacy and research, Duke TIP provides resources to gifted students, their parents, educators, and schools for the development of the students’ optimal educational potential. The Petters Research Institute, http://www.pribelize.org, is a non-profit, interdisciplinary center of excellence in the sciences and mathematics, promotes synergistic interactions with business administration and entrepreneurship. The Institute was founded by Belizean Dr. Arlie Petters, scientist and Professor of Mathematics, Physics, and Business Administration at Duke University. The lead instructor, Ken Tomei, is a recent Masters of Business Administration graduate of the Fuqua School of Business and has worked closely with the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (C.O.L.E.). Other faculty members include Professor Elizabeth Fogle, Pastor Caleb Nicholas, who is Managing Director of Youth Programs at PRI, and graduate student Susan Fant. Distinguished Belizean guest speakers for the program are: Chena Galvez, Eccleston Irving, Jan Meerman, Aurora Saqui, Ernesto Saqui, Marie Sharp, Dan Silva, Dr. Louis Zabaneh, and Maria Zabaneh. Reporter Belize tourism
leaders
in Mexico get first hand view Belize
and Mexico have further cemented their tourism collaboration by hosting
an 18-member trade delegation to visit tourism destinations in Quintana
Roo and Yucatan.
The mission from Belize had meetings in Chetumal, Mahajual, Bacalar, Merida, Villadolid and Izamal to network with Mexican hoteliers, travel agents, wholesalers and tour operators to swap information and plan strategies. The trip had helped Belizean operators to familiarize themselves with some of Yucatan’s main attractions. Merida’s tourism sector indicated that it was keen to review its relationship with Belize through the Mundo Maya Organization. The new Maya Island flights to and from Cancun and the interest the ADO bus line has expressed in the Chetumal-Belize route are pivotal and are expected to open new opportunities in the markets and link this tourist-rich region. This trip was the return leg of a trade visit in Belize which was the host for Mexican tourism leaders earlier this year. The event organized by the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) and the Embassy of Mexico to Belize, included Belizean hoteliers, tour operators, media and tourism representatives from the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), the Belize Hotel Association (BHA), the Belize National Tour Operators Association (BNTOA) and the Belize National Tourist Guide Association (BNTGA). Reporter LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
IN MEMORIAM  Frank Reichmuth
THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read Mark Twain
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