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There is a project in the works to hopefully stop coastal erosion in Dangriga Town and Hopkins Village.

As viewers area may be aware, Climate Change and global warming continue to cause the gradual washing away of coastal communities in this region, and Belize is equally vulnerable to that type of long-term deterioration. So, to remedy that, the National Climate Change Office is collaborating with Cuba's Institute of Marine Sciences and the GAMMA Institute of Cuba. A week ago, a team of 4 Coastal Development experts arrived in Belize to conduct a comprehensive field assessment under a project entitled "Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Dangriga and Hopkins".

The Government notes that the southern coastline is severely impacted by erosion. Hopkins Village and Dangriga are losing beachfront at an alarming rate. A March 2019 assessment on coastal erosion indicated at that time that the shoreline was retreating about 20 to 25 feet over the past 5 years.

The GAMMA Team commenced fieldwork on Tuesday in Dangriga Town, and they are focusing on an assessment of the beach and the nearshore system. The assessment is expected to be completed by September 12, and it will result in the identification of the appropriate climate technology solutions and the corresponding feasibility study. Then, there will be the design and development of a shoreline recovery and stabilization project for Dangriga Town and Hopkins Village.

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Cuban Coastal Experts Making Headway in Field Assessment

A team of Cuban experts from the Institute of Marine Sciences and GAMMA S.A. has been covering significant ground in the south for the past two weeks as they conduct preliminary coastal erosion assessments. The field assessment is being conducted under the project entitled "Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Dangriga and Hopkins."

The team arrived in mid-August and has completed coastal surveys, sand sampling, and sediment thickness measurements among other activities in Hopkins Village and Dangriga Town. The experts will complete their research and assessment of Hopkins and Dangriga next week along with a preliminary assessment of Monkey River. They will depart Belize on Friday, September 24, 2021. The field assessment of Hopkins and Dangriga will result in the identification and feasibility study of appropriate climate technology solutions and the design and development of a shoreline recovery and stabilization project for Dangriga Town and Hopkins Village.

On Tuesday, September 14, the team along with a representative from the National Climate Change Office, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, LIC and the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment carried out a field visit to Barranco Village and Punta Gorda Town. The field visit was facilitated by the Barranco Village Chairman Mr. Jerry Arzu, vice chairman and members of the Barranco Group of Economic Development and Environment. The purpose of the visit was to learn from the experience of the villagers on the erosion that has taken place and for the coastal experts to carry out a preliminary assessment of the erosion processes occurring in the area. The team observed severe erosion that has occurred all along the shoreline of Barranco, as well as high wave energy contributing to this process. Residents of the area noted that the beach extended much further several years ago. Efforts have been made to alleviate the problem but have been unsuccessful.

This activity is being funded under the Fourth National Communication and First Biennial Update Report and the Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate Change and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean (EnGenDER) projects and the Government of Belize.


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Cubans on Coastal Erosion

Tomorrow, the last members of a team of Cuban experts who have been researching Belize's southern coastal erosion will return to the island nation with the information they gathered. They've been here since August and have focused on the areas of Monkey River and Dangriga - which have seen massive erosion of the land over the years. The team also visited Barranco and PG. In these villages and towns, residents are concerned because the land is washing away before their eyes, taking their houses with it. They reported seeing the beaches shrink overtime and are now hoping for a solution. While there is no quick fix, we spoke with two of the Cuban team members via Zoom to get their preliminary findings. Dr. Jose Luis Juanes Marti from the Institute of Marine Sciences spoke of small solutions the residents can take to slow the pace of the erosion.

Miguel Izquierdo Alvarez from Inversiones Gamma S.A. Company told us more about the situation in the southern part of the country.

This project, dubbed "Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Dangriga and Hopkins" is in collaboration with the National Climate Change Office along with the 5 C's, LIC and TIDE. It is being funded under the Fourth National Communication and First Biennial Update Report and the EnGenDER with the Government of Belize.

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