The
Mesoamerican Reef, the world's second longest coral barrier,
extends some 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the northern tip
of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to Honduras' Bay Islands. That
vast natural monument is home for more than 50 coral and 300
fish species, but many of them are threatened by over
fishing.
In Belize
alone, more than 3,000 fishermen depend on the reef. For many
coastal communities, though, that resource now plays a more
important role as a tourist attraction, since tourism has
become the country's top money earner. In Belize as in
neighboring countries, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
Project, an international program known by its acronym in
Spanish, SAM, is heavily promoting sustainable tourism and
encouraging fishermen to get involved in conservation. SAM is a
project of the Central American Commission for the Environment
and Development, is implemented by the World Bank, and is
funded by the Global Environmental Facility.
Belize has 10
protected areas that cover sections of the reef, but none of
them has been spared the impact of lobster, conch, and fin
fishing. The protected areas are scattered along the length of
the country, from Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, which borders
Mexico, to Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, which lies near the
borders of Guatemala and Honduras.
In both
reserves, SAM project funds are being used to construct visitor
centers, buy equipment and provide technical assistance to
local fishermen. The project has also resulted in new tourism
policies and other regulations for the entire reef system, as
well as for the tourism industry. According to project
managers, a principal SAM objective is to decrease pressure on
fishing resources in border areas, with similar efforts
underway in neighboring countries.
Noel Jacobs is
the Regional Director of the SAM, whose principal office is in
Belize. He explains, "We can protect everything within the
borders of a protected area, but just as with international
borders, they are imaginary. Just outside the areas, we find
unsustainable uses, extraction, and uncontrolled
exploitation."
According to
Isaías Majil, coordinator of marine protected areas for
the Belize Fisheries Department, the marine life around the
Sapodilla Cayes is threatened by Guatemalan and Honduran
fishermen. To try to protect these resources, Belize is part of
two international alliances: the Belize-Mexico Alliance for the
Management of Shared Coastal Resources and the Tri-national
Alliance for the Gulf of Honduras.
"These
alliances, which bring together protected area managers, non-
governmental organizations, and academic institutions, have
contributed to the formation of policies and the exchange of
experiences and lessons learned," says Majil.
The regulations
governing Belizean waters range from a complete ban on fishing
in certain areas to restricted seasons for commercial species
and required permits for traditional fishing in restricted
zones. The Belize Fisheries Department, together with the SAM
and conservation groups, has organized training seminars and
environmental education activities to convince fishermen to
abandon unsustainable practices and to help them take advantage
of tourism's potential.
According to
Majil, fishermen used to be indiscriminate in their capture of
fish species and sizes and knew little about the growing
potential of sport fishing. After workshops like those
organized by the SAM project, they have a better understanding
of why it's important to keep only the largest of their catch
and to respect closed seasons. They also are aware of the
economic benefits of guiding foreigners who come to Belize for
catch-and-release fly fishing.
As Jacobs
explains, one of the principal objectives of the project is to
help fishermen find economic alternatives. A program starting
in August will train 40 fishermen per year to work as guides
for local sport fishing, scuba diving, and kayaking businesses.
"Priority is given to fishermen who can demonstrate
legitimate economic losses due to our investment in protected
areas," he notes.
The fishermen
receive free training and can rent the equipment they use in
the course for a symbolic fee upon completing it. According to
Jacobs, a new guide should be able to earn enough money during
his first year to purchase his own equipment.
Training
fishermen to become tourist guides is part of a larger
initiative to ensure the sustainability of protected areas.
Majil admits that the principal problem in the management of
Belize's marine areas is financial, which is why tourism has
been identified as an option for strengthening sustainability.
The Hol Chan Reserve, the closest protected area to the tourist
town of San Pedro, receives some 45,000 visitors per year, and
admission fees paid by tourists supply a large portion of the
area's operating budget.
Despite the
lack of studies to determine their carrying capacities, areas
such as Hol Chan have zoning systems that permit tourism only
in certain areas. But according to Heider PÈrez, an
administrative assistant at the reserve, Hol Chan has reached
the saturation point with 30 tourist boats visiting the small
reserve each week during the high season. Majil would like to
channel some of that tourism flow to other areas, which could
greatly benefit from the income.
The impressive
growth in tourism does not mean that all Belize's fishermen
have the talent for, or are interested in working with
tourists, so they are still allowed to fish in certain sectors
of the marine reserves. The SAM is promoting the co-management
of the reserves with the fishermen. One example of this
innovative cooperation can be found in the Bacalar Chico Marine
Reserve, north of San Pedro, where fishermen from the
Caribeña Fishing Cooperative are participating in a
study of lobster, conch, and commercial fish populations.
"If we
know that a no-fishing area over here will conserve the fishing
in the rest of the reserve, we will take care of it," says
Manuel Heredia, vice-chairman of Caribeña, who explained
that he and his colleagues want their cooperative to become
involved in the reserve's management.
"Our
principal accomplishment has been the support of the people,
the guides and fishermen, in vigilance and monitoring
activities," adds Majil.
Contacts in
Belize:
Isaías
Majil
Coordinator of
Marine Protected Areas
Belize
Fisheries Department
tel 501/224-
4552, 501/223-2623
bacalarchico@hotmail.com<
/a>
Noel Jacobs
Regional
Director
Mesoamerican
Barrier Reef System Project
Princess
Margaret Drive, P.O Box 93
Belize City
tel 501/223-
3895, 501/223-4561
fax 501/223-
4513
mbrs@btl.net
Heider
Pérez
P.O Box 60
San Pedro
Town
tel 501/226-
2247
fax 501/226-
2420
hcmr@btl.net
www.mbrs.org.bz
Read more about
this project in the Eco-Index: www.eco-
index.org/search/results.cfm?ProjectID=474
