7 News Belize

Is Reserving The Key To Preserving Placencia Lagoon?
posted (September 25, 2015)
So, as you've seen the Placencia lagoon is under sustained pressure, either from rapid development expansion, or from the slow pollution of the community's inefficient sewage system. That and other reasons are why the Southern Environment Association is hoping that the Government will declare the Placencia Lagoon a protected area. The Executive Director told us more:

Nicole Auil Gomez, Executive Director, SEA
"The Placencia peninsula is within an ecological hotspot. It's within very close range of the reef. There are patch reefs off of the lagoon itself and westward of the peninsula is the Placencia lagoon which is a critical fish nursery habitat. It's an important mangrove habitat, it has high importance value for manatees, and it would be classified as the most important sites for manatees in Belize. The Placencia lagoon has been a gap in the protected area system nationally. It has been identified by several individuals in publications and the national rationalization report that comprehensively looked at the protected area system and identified it as a gap. So the environmental association is working with the friends of Placencia lagoon through the support of the world wildlife fund. To get Placencia lagoon declared a wildlife sanctuary under the new national protected area systems bill or act that will be finalized shortly. We hope to see the process move forward that we can get that site declared a protected area."

SEA is about to finalize a draft proposal which they will submit to the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development to consideration. It has taken the conservation community on the Placencia several months and lot of work to arrive at this point.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize