The Last Resort: A $20 Million Deal
Belizean conservation organizations and Wake Forest University biology professors and students all share one commonality-they might be the only things standing between a group of Italian developers and the destruction of important ecological habitats in Belize.
PuertoAzul Belize Limited-a branch of the international PuertoAzul Exclusive Resorts franchise-might be the most alluring and expensive new tourist destination in Belize in coming years. It would come equipped with 200-300 luxurious rooms to accommodate thousands of well-endowed guests, a golf course, villas, spas, a Formula 1 race track, a health center and much more. Developers intend to construct all of these amenities atop Northern Caye and Sandbore Caye, collectively referred to as the northern two cayes, both of which are dangerously close to two marine protected areas (MPAs) at the Lighthouse Reef (LHR) Atoll.
Ariel view of Northern Caye and Sandbore Caye in the distance. The two large lagoons would be mostly filled in to accommodate much of the proposed development. Photo courtesy of Max Messinger
These MPAs are extensively protected because of their importance in the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System-a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-and include the Great Blue Hole and the Half Moon Caye. The former is a dive spot so famous it has been documented as one of "The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth" by the Discovery Channel and is considered by some to be the Eighth Wonder of the World. The latter is home to a red-footed booby colony and also houses fishes that could play an important role in increasing fish populations adjacent to the MPA and, thus, helping to maintain a healthier reef.
The potential location of this controversial resort is of particular relevance to the university and its programs, as a course on ecology and conservation biology of coral reefs is taught every spring by professors Miles Silman, Ph.D., Miriam Ashley-Ross, Ph.D., and Ben Perlman, a Ph.D. candidate and CEES Teaching Fellow in the biology department. Because of this course's focus on the oceanography, the natural history and the marine ecology of LHR Atoll, students can spend their spring break on the atoll conducting fish surveys and learning firsthand about the important components of its biodiversity and ecology. If construction on the northern two cayes were to break way, its ramifications on this treasured environment could be devastating.
"The biggest loss of these field sites would be the loss of the opportunity to create a unique and expansive reserve, potentially the first of its kind in the world," says Matt Tietbohl, a rising senior and biology major who was awed by sharp contrast between the wealth of biodiversity he saw at LHR Atoll and the lack thereof in other Caribbean islands he had visited. "If this site were built, then the idea of turning the entire atoll into a marine preserve would be lost."
Decades ago, an air strip on Northern Caye allowed small planes to transport guests to a small resort consisting of a few cottages until the vacation spot failed in the mid-2000s because of poor management, most likely attributed to the atoll's remoteness and its undeveloped surroundings. Current plans to develop the area include extending the air strip a quarter of a mile into the coral reef lagoon to accommodate the larger planes that would shuttle thousands of tourists to and from the island.
Aerial view of Northern Caye and the air strip that would be widened and extended into the water. Photo courtesy of Max Messinger |
Although not opposed to all development, Perlman and his students believe the current project would essentially dissipate the current natural state of the island.
"It's hard to imagine how the two large lagoons in the center of Northen Caye will be filled in to accommodate all of the buildings," says Perlman. "Where will the material come from? Sand that will be dredged from the surrounding coral reefs?"
Not only would the destruction of the coral reef and surrounding mangrove swamps produce long lasting consequences on the reef's natural function, but it would also completely pave over the field sites that Perlman and undergraduates study.
"It would be a real shame to see some of these mangrove swamps and coral reef habitats go away forever, especially in knowing the important ecosystem services these habitats provide" Perlman says.
To construct the air strip, large swaths of the mangrove forest surrounding it must be removed, and these areas include one of the field sites where Perlman collects Kryptolebia marmoratus, commonly known as the mangrove rivulus fish, which he is studying for his Ph.D. Other inhabitants of this area include salt water crocodiles, birds, and an array of brackish and marine fish species, some of which were only discovered in recent decades and could offer a wealth of knowledge and natural resources to researchers and co-habitants, respectively.
Salt water crocodile spotted under the prop roots of a mangrove tree during preparation for fish surveys - Photo courtesy of Ben Perlman |
Specific damages from the extension of the air strip alone include reduced water clarity from debris and silt, beach erosion caused by the removal of vegetation, runoff and artificial beach modification. Moreover, local fisheries that thrive off of the Nassau groupers that spawn near the northern two cayes are at risk of suffering from depleted grouper populations due to local construction of the resort.
"This is just one of many examples of where big money may wipe out a whole � ecosystem without anyone realizing that it's happening or what we are losing," Tietbohl says.
Some Belizeans believe the new resort offers benefits because it would create more jobs locally, but Perlman is unconvinced by this transient solution.
"Is it worth permanently destroying part of one of the most naturally intact atolls in the Caribbean to accommodate just a few tourists?" he asks.
These tourists include big celebrity names, such as John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston, who, on May 21, 2014, attended the PuertoAzul Experience, an invitation-only celebration that coincided with the unveiling of the project at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
This news came as a surprise to Belizean and international media, whose only clues were the social media posts referencing the attendance of Manuel Heredia, Belize's Minister of Tourism, at the event. Also in attendance was Erwin Contreras, Belize's Minister of Trade, Investment Promotion, Private Sector Development and Consumer Protection.
Details surrounding this project have remained murky since its public debut. When interviewed at Cannes about the impact of the development on the local environment, Preston asserted that twenty percent of proceeds from the resort would go to "nearby villages," none of which currently exist on the atoll. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which must pass certain requirements for development to begin, has yet to be officially released. Moreover, past EIAs for this project never passed inspections by the Belize Ministry of the Environment, so whether developers should even be allowed to proceed is still a puzzle.
Octupus in turtle grass beds on northern end of Sandbore Caye - Photo courtesy of Ben Perlman |
"The fact that the ecosystems stemming from and relying on the northern two cayes are part of the Mesoamerican Reef-the second largest barrier reef system in the world-should mean that � Belize should go out of its way to protect them," says Austen Stovall, an undergraduate student who took Silman's and Perlman's ecology course her senior year and was impressed by the class's interdisciplinary structure, which she believes "demonstrated just how interconnected all the problems on the northern two cayes are today."
Belizean conservation organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund and the Belize Audubon Society published a press release admonishing the government of Belize for not being more transparent about its resort project and imploring it to answer questions ranging from the exact purpose of the resort to the results of findings from an alleged feasibility study for the project that should have been conducted in Aug., 2013.
The press release also alluded to the environmental sensitivity of the proposed construction location, which houses the atoll's most extensive mangrove forests, commercially important marine resources, and endangered Hawksbill turtles, among other organisms. Other points raised include the integrity of the project, the allocation of taxpayer money, and the desire to preserve the "authenticity" of Belize's eco-friendly culture, none of which have officially been addressed by the Belizean government.
To learn more about the resort and the Italian developers behind its conception, one can visit http://www.puertoazulholding.com/ph/. When you visit, you might see something about Tree of Dreams, a Puerto Azul charity foundation aimed at advocating everything from conservation, to education, to running water. There is, however, no record of this charity anywhere other than on the Puerto Azul website. Maybe if the $20 million deal closes on June 30, the philanthropy of this project will be less of a puzzle, too.
Source
AmbergrisCaye.com 
