“The desperately poor Maya and Garifuna people have been excluded from accessing natural resources in Sarstoon Temash National Park. But a wealthy foreign corporation can set off dynamite and extract oil without an environmental impact assessment or a mitigation plan. This selective application of the law is a violation of the human rights of the indigenous people in Belize.”

– Greg Ch’oc, Executive Director, Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM)

Stop Oil Development in National Park / Belize - Victory

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With over 90 protected areas, Belize has earned a reputation for conservation. Its magnificent barrier reef, tropical rainforests and ancient Maya ruins make it a popular eco-tourism destination. But now Belize faces a truth test: how deep is its commitment to environmentally sustainable development?

The challenge comes with the recent discovery of commercial-quality oil. Five oil companies already have been licensed to conduct seismic explorations, both on land and off shore. Belize’s 90 “protected” areas are fair game. Not even the National Parks are spared the invasion of heavy machinery and shattering blasts of dynamite.

The first showdown on Parks vs. Oil is underway in southern Belize, where Texas-based US Capital Energy is licensed to conduct oil explorations including the 41,000-acre Sarstoon Temash National Park. Who is fighting to protect the Park? Belize’s poorest and most disenfranchised people: the Maya and Garifuna communities that depend on the Park’s resources for their traditional livelihoods.

Since 2003, the Maya and Garifuna peoples have partnered with the Belizean government to co-manage the country’s second-largest National Park. The co-management program is a pioneering effort to reconcile the rights and needs of indigenous communities with environmental protection. The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) represents five Q’eqchi Maya and Garifuna communities on the outskirts of Sarstoon Temash National Park. A ground-breaking model of community-based natural resource management, SATIIM promotes eco-tourism, agro-forestry and other economic alternatives for the indigenous communities that depend on the health and diversity of the Park’s waters, flora and fauna.

Oil development does not fit in this picture, and SATIIM is fighting to stop it. SATIIM’s battle to bar oil exploration and development in Sarstoon Temash National Park will set a precedent. At stake are all of
Belize’s national parks and protected areas, and the country’s integrity as a proponent of conservation and sustainable development.

The international community has a stake in the outcome of this fight – and an important role to play in winning it. Sarstoon Temash is recognized by the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international significance and is home to many endangered species. Oil explorations in the national park may violate Belize’s treaty obligations under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also ruled that the Belizean government must consult with indigenous communities and obtain their consent before taking any actions that affect their traditional lands.

SATIIM says national laws are also being broken. The organization is challenging the oil exploration permit in court as a violation of the National Parks Act and the Environmental Protection Act. Other violations: the required environmental impact study has not been completed, and the government has not honored SATIIM’s co-management agreement which states that the prior informed consent of SATIIM must be obtained before any permits are granted for activities in the Sarstoon Temash National Park.

How can we help? SATIIM is calling for urgent help from world citizens to defend the integrity of Belize’s national parks. Please write to the Prime Minister.

A model letter is available here.

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