May 20, 2006

SATIIM takes the Government of Belize to court over oil exploration in the Sarstoon Temash National Park in southern Belize!

On Monday May 15 SATIIM (the NGO i am volunteering with) lodged a lawsuit against the Government of Belize for issuing the permit to the oil company to enter the park to begin seismic testing- a breech of the National Parks Act, the Environmental Protection Act, SATIIM’s co-management arrangement with the Ministry and the international Ramsar convention on the protection of wetlands (the Sarstoon Temash National Park is a Ramsar site- a wetland of international significance).

It has been a really interesting week – inspiring and disconcerting all at the same time. Moments like last weekend when one of our human rights lawyers spoke passionately in response to a group of Mayan and Garifuna leaders who were wavering and doubting the value of taking legal action and mobilizing to the capital- wondering what a difference it could make (with damn good reason to doubt of course…) but Antoinette, our lawyer, spoke with so much conviction that the government and the oil company are counting on the communities we are working with to be divided, to feel deflated, to feel powerless and hopeless- and how we must not prove them right. This was followed by one after another leader standing up and saying they would go with us to the capital. Of course, not everyone was convinced, but she had me that’s for sure! That was a powerful morning last Saturday. So on Monday we traveled for over 10 hours on 2 school buses to Belize City and back to participate in a press conference- Jim and I even made it onto the national news as part of the crowd. The court is hearing the case next Friday – which is apparently really fast – so if we win it means the oil company must stop exploring while there is a judicial review. All to say I have been kept busy working on drafting press releases, resolutions, applying for funding, searching for expert witnesses for our case. And of course learning! The universe most definitely responded to my call for an interesting NGO experience down in southern Belize. I wasn’t really expecting to land in the NGO making the most headlines, discussed on the morning shows, and causing the most controversy in Belize. When you ask- sometimes you really receive!

May 5, 2006
Wow, so much is happening so quickly down here! Despite being a sleepy little town and country- the oil developers are keeping SATIIM, the little environmental NGO I am volunteering with, hopping. Which is great in the sense that I have lots to do and opportunities to learn, not so great for the rich biodiversity of the park and the communities around the park who are unsure what this means for their future. A few weeks ago I had the great opportunity to go for a flight in a four person plane over the Sarstoon Temash National Park- which is the park where the seismic testing will begin any day now. What an incredible expanse of rich, dense tropical forest, wetlands, meandering rivers, and coastal mangroves. This park is the reason Belize is such a unique little piece of Central America. Yet oil prices being what they are seem to entice all governments and leave communities chasing down lawyers and funding for advocacy (at least that is what is going on here). Very exciting times.

While I have been really busy with some crash courses in advocacy campaigning over oil, Jim has been making the connections and opening the doors he needs to get some neat data and info for his research. The latest is that he has the chance to take a tour guide course here in PG offered by the University of Belize. This will be great for him because this will give him real insight into how eco-tour guide trainers are trained, and what they are learning and what they are promoting. And the other neat thing is that if he pays the cost of the course ($250US) he can sponsor a local Belizean to take the course for free- since Jim won’t be getting the actual creditentials to be a tour guide- which is required here in Belize to take folks to caves, out to the cayes, kayaking, etc. So that is pretty cool.

Don’t worry we have also been taking our weekends off to relax and explore. Last weekend we went to Placencia- the only real beach in Belize. Only about a two hour trip from PG on bus and water taxi. It was really nice, quiet, lots of yummy food, warm water and chance to bronze up a bit. This weekend we are going to hang out around PG, check out a cinco de mayo party with some American ex-pats who are here with the Peace Corps, and maybe write some postcards. I hear the tulip festival in Ottawa is around the corner…I have to admit I do miss springtime in Ottawa : ) Enjoy Xavier for me!!