Environment

General Overview

Belize has managed to preserve its natural environment more effectively than any of its neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nevertheless, the country still faces its own environmental challenges, most of which are consequences of development projects.

Current Issues

Key current environmental issues in Belize include the following:

· Deforestation
· Loss of mangroves due to land dredging and land reclamation projects
· Over-fishing of certain marine life species
· Water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, and agricultural runoff.
· Continued usage of certain agricultural practices that are not sustainable

In this regard, Belize requires a legal framework, new policiess, management systems, and educational resources to address these issues at the systemic and institutional levels.

Natural Hazards

Major natural hazards in Belize include frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south).

Jurisdiction and Regulation

Regulation and protection of the environment in Belize comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment.

Major Environmental Organizations

Major non-governmental environmental organizations and entities include the Belize Audubon Society (BAS), The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center (TEC), Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation International (WCI).

International Accords

The major international agreements which Belize is party to include: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, and Whaling.

Belize
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(Millions of Metric Tons)

Fuel

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

Coal

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

Natural Gas

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

Petroleum

0.077

0.089

0.073

0.119

0.074

Total

0.077

0.089

0.073

0.119

0.074

% Change

-

15.6%

-18.0%

63.0%

-37.8%

Sources:

US Department of Energy