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Help us Recover from Hurricane Earl
Lately you have seen many updates from us showing our work in the Protected Areas of Belize. Hurricane Earl passed through our country and left its mark.
Over 45% of The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations’ (APAMO) members suffered severe damages to headquarters, field stations, gift shops, equipment, ranger posts, camping facilities, roads, and bridges. The damages are estimated at BZ $350,000 (US $175,000).
The Nation depends on our protected areas and its watersheds and pristine forests for their critical environmental services including drinking water. APAMO seeks your help to provide funding to our members to assist with the restoration process. Please help us SHARE these photos: https://goo.gl/5qdv0p
APAMO seeks your help to provide funding to our members to assist with the restoration process. Please contact us at execdirector@apamobelize.org or +501.663.4291.
Donations can be made to our Bank Account: Atlantic Bank (Belmopan Branch) #100240106
Protecting the Belize Barrier Reef
–PRESS RELEASE–
APAMO WELCOMES BAN BY CABINET TO PROTECT THE LONGEST BARRIER REEF IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
December 3, 2015–BELMOPAN–The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, APAMO, applauds the decision by Cabinet demonstrating government’s resolve to ensuring the continued protection of the Belize Barrier Reef System and in particular the World Heritage Site comprised of 7 marine protected areas.
The approval of a policy that will legally apply a ban on offshore exploration in areas along the Belize Barrier Reef System and within its World Heritage Site is of critical importance significantly contributing to the 3 pillars of sustainable development; the economic, social and environmental welfare of our beloved country.
The APAMO in particular is pleased that the policy also includes that areas that fall outside of the large acreages banned, would not automatically allow for seismic activities and exploration drilling without conducting the existing stringent environmental studies to determine critical habitats and sensitive zones.
The Association with 5 of its 13 members having management responsibilities over marine protected areas welcomes this milestone and remains committed to continuing working with the government and directly with its relevant ministries and regulatory authorities to protect the integrity of the protected areas of Belize while allowing the sustainable development of industries in Belize.
The Voice of Belize’s Protected Areas!
Charting the Way Forward
— PRESS RELEASE —
APAMO CHARTING THE WAY FORWARD AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTIONS
“29 October 2015 Belmopan: The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) on Monday 26th October successfully held its 3rd Pre-Election Political/Business Mixer at the Radisson Fort George.
The purpose of these forums is for the political parties aspiring to form the new government, to share and discuss openly their policies on environmental and natural resources issues with the conservation Non-Government community.”
Earth Day 2015 is here!
“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” — Theodore Roosevelt.
The more environmental conscious a community is, greater the appreciation and love for #NATURE!!!
Rancho Dolores Environmental and Development Group has engaged its youth in a Nature Education Program funded by PACT, Belize, which culminated over the weekend with a field trip visit to the Community Baboon Sanctuary in Bermudian Landing.
Students of Rancho Dolores Village have been sensitized through the program to care more about the natural environment, surrounding their community. It is important to understand from a young age how fragile and robust nature can be!
The nature education program was a timely activity leading into Earth Day 2015.Nature is what we seek to protect. Conserve. For the children of tomorrow. For us. For the World! Celebrate EARTH DAY, EVERYDAY!
General Assembly 2015
APAMO’s Extraordinary General Assembly 2015
Member NGOs/CBOs convened at APAMO’s extraordinary General Assembly to reflect on the way forward of the organization. Despite challenges, APAMO remains committed to its core values.
APAMO is constituted of 13 local con-servation organizations: seven well-established NGOs and six Community based Organizations. As an umbrella or-ganization, APAMO’s strength is found in the unity of its members.
Ensuring Good Governance
Community-Based Co-Managers Ensuring Good Governance
Today, APAMO witnessed the recently reformed Friends of Mayflower Bocawina Community-based Organization become the formal co-managers of the Mayflower Bocawina National Park in the Stann Creek District. At a signing ceremony of the Co-Management Agreement this morning at the Forest Department, the reformed group with the newly registered name of Mayflower Bocawina Environmental and Development Group (MBEDG) became the official co-managers of the Park.
In line with one of the PACT Large Grant Project objectives [co-funded by OAK foundation and GEF-SGP], the reform substantiates strengthening of governance of the CBOs by adopting new revised Articles of Association.
The group is now ready to embark on a new stage and continue improving on its capacity as effective protected areas co-managers. This mandate will be undertaken working very closely with the regulatory agency, the Forest Department.
Ninth Amendment Bill
October 19, 2011
Hon. Dean Barrow,
Prime Minister,
Minister of Finance,
Belmopan
Dear Hon. Barrow:
Re: Ninth Amendment Bill
The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations APAMO has reviewed several legal opinions of the matter of the 9th Amendment Bill. First, we express no views on the provisions that seek to ensure that the government owns 51% of the utilities. Our concerns are with section 2 and subsection 9 of Section 69 which we consider, if enacted, leaves vulnerable our constitutional democracy and which risks taking our country down a slippery slope.
Our concerns with the two sections are as follows:
(1) any amendment to section 2 of the Constitution potentially dilutes the supremacy of our written constitution, which sets out how we are to be governed and which safeguards our fundamental rights and which our citizenry has accepted as the bedrock of our democracy . The government claims that the proposed alteration to section 2 is simply seeking to clarify and preserve the integrity of the legislative process. Upon our read of it, however, and buttressed by the legal opinions we have reviewed, the proposed amendment seeks to vest supremacy in the National Assembly so as to enable that body to pass future constitutional amendments, and once the requisite manner and form provisions of section 69 are complied with, the citizenry will be unable to challenge its legality, even if the future amendment infringes the vested fundamental rights that we presently enjoy;
(2) the amendments to section 69 takes away the court’s ability to hear anything but procedural challenges to a proposed constitutional amendment and allows for parliamentary supremacy APAMO, urges the government to refrain from amending the section 2 and section 69 as being proposed in the 9th Amendment Bill or alternatively place it on a referendum so that all Belizeans can decide.
Sincerely,
Edilberto Romero
APAMO Chairman