A week ago we reported on the meeting between the UNESCO World Heritage Center delegates and the NGO community. They gathered to discuss the much critiqued Draft Petroleum Exploration and Exploration Guidelines - and how changing and removing certain sections of the draft can move Belize a step closer to getting off the list of 'in danger' sites.
Well, the NGO's weren't the only ones meeting the UNESCO group - so did the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister's office today sent out a press release assuring government's commitment to working along with UNESCO and the NGO community to protect the reef system. The release says quote "the Government of Belize agreed to start talks on critical conservation challenges related to the removal of the Belize Barrier Reef from the World Heritage List in Danger". It continues by stating that "Prime Minister Dean Barrow…expressed his willingness to chart a course forward for key management requirements for a sustainable future for the reef." It also makes a strong commitment to quote, "prohibit oil exploitation within and adjacent to the protected areas in the Belize Barrier Reef System."
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