AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment Official Launch of Belize's Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Process

Wednesday, October 19th, 2022
Belize Biltmore Plaza
Video:
https://www.facebook.com/coastalzonebelize.org/videos/1154699582127311/

A Plan to Monitor Marine Resources

Today, saw the launch of the Belize Marine Spatial Plan - a process that hopes to monitor Belize's oceans. The MSP's objective is to bring together all ocean users and other stakeholders to create a comprehensive picture of what activities occur in Belize's marine areas. This will in turn help to create an inclusive and coordinated way to allocate marine spaces, and to ensure this resource can be conserved.

The overarching goal is to eventually sign the plan law that will guide the sustainable development and designate up to 30% of Belize's ocean as biodiversity protection zones.

At the ceremony, the representatives from the Ministry of the Blue Economy, the Nature Conservancy, and the Fisheries Department explained more about the MSP.

Julie Robinson, Belize Program Director, TNC
"Marine spatial planning is a process, it is a participatory process, it is stakeholder driven, and it is a way of defining how we use our ocean space. and it is addressing several objectives. First and foremost it is about protection of biodiversity so there is ecological objectives in there but there is an economic objective. So it's really about, how do we best design our ocean space to meet all these multiple objects to ensure that while we are maintaining our natural resources, we are developing it in a sustainable way that will enable for a prosperous country going forward."

Kennedy Carillo, CEO, Ministry of Blue Economy
"The Belize Sustainable Ocean Plan is an integral part of our process of ensuring that the Blue Economy policy and strategy of our country will be inclusive, that it will not only focus on a conservation aspect but also how do we make the smartest decisions in terms of the sustainable and responsible use of our Marine space as well as our resources. It is extremely important for us to highlight that this must be a consultative process that engages all the different sectors, in particularly, the role of those sectors that depend and have depended on the ocean for many years, we're speaking about the fishing communities, there must be an integral part, as well as, of course, ensuring that at every single step, we are informing the people of Belize because we are the owners of this space and we must ensure that whatever decisions are being made will impact our lives positively."

Beverly Wade, Director of Fisheries
"So what we want is that next year, a fisherman can still be out there and have a reasonable livelihood from fishing, what we want is that we continue to have natural assets that support our eco tourism sector and we also want that the overall contribution of important natural resources to climate resiliency is maintain as a country because it is important for our survival."

Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy
"We as a country have to lead, and it's high time that we as a country stop just saying if other countries are doing it, we need to do it. We are this point in time by launching the MSP, it makes us create history that we are going through uncharted waters and it is going to work for us. We are the second country to launch this MSP and I'm told that of course Barbados is following it as well. I'm sure other countries are following and they will be looking at us to seek information which we will be more than willing to share with them, so it is leading the way and puts us on the map as Belize bring innovative."

Wade also explained there is a fund of 4 million US dollars set up to achieve this process and various milestones they have set.

Channel 7

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Official Launch of Belize's Marine Spatial Planning Process

The Government of Belize, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, launched the Marine Spatial Planning process on October 19th, 2022. The launch of this planning process marks a milestone accomplishment under the Blue Loan Agreement and the Conservation Funding Agreement signed last November 2021 between the Government of Belize and TNC. These agreements underpin the country's trailblazing debt conversion for marine conservation.

The launch, which was held at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza, was attended by representatives from the government, civil society, and the private sector as well as Belize's international development partners. This broad-based participation reflects the critical importance of this planning process to the tourism, fisheries, natural resource management, marine and coastal conservation, shipping, and national security sectors. Members of the public were also invited to view and participate virtually in the launch, which was live-streamed on Facebook.

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is a public, inclusive, and participatory process through which stakeholders determine the optimal distribution of human activities across marine areas to achieve the country's ecological, economic, and social objectives. The launch was an opportunity to share with the Belizean public what the MSP is, what to expect from the planning process, and how they can participate in developing a plan that serves their diverse interests.

Prime Minister Hon. John Briceno and Minister Andre Perez of the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, as well as Narda Garcia, Chief Executive Officer, Office of the Prime Minister & Investment, and Kennedy Carrillo, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, spoke on the government's commitment and aspirations for the MSP.

Prime Minister John Brice�o pointed out that "The Belize Blue Bond is a triple win for Belize! It resulted in the reduction of our public debt by 12 percent of GDP, the advancement of conservation and climate policy expansion and the creation of a long-term financing mechanism to support marine conservation and the wise use of our Blue Natural Capital. Through the Marine Spatial Plan, the blue bond will allow us to develop a blueprint for sustainable development and growth, as well as see the protection of up to 30 percent of our total Ocean Space. We are determined to employ a framework that results in a vibrant and robust blue economy contributing meaningfully to our national economy and the welfare of our citizenry"

Speaking on the importance of the MSP process, Hon. Andr� Perez noted that "MSP must be embraced as a valuable tool in delivering Belize's Blue Economy objectives. It is necessary to balance demands for development and economic growth with the need to protect our environment and cultural heritage. This MSP will complement the Belize Blue Economy Development Policy and Strategy (2022 - 2027) and Maritime Economy Plan, and advance other MSP approaches currently used in Belize such as Marine Protected Areas, Managed Access, and the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan."

For this official launch, the Government of Belize was joined by Ms. Julie Robinson, Director of The Nature Conservancy - a key partner in realizing Belize's marine conservation commitments under the Blue Loan Agreement and the Conservation Funding Agreement.

"Ms. Julie Robinson emphasizes that, "The Nature Conservancy will continue to support Belize by providing the latest scientific knowledge so that Belize's MSP process is conducted using state-of-the-art methods, which serves as a model to other nations. The TNC Country Program comprises talented and experience Belizeans who will work on the ground with local stakeholders to develop an equitable plan that meets Belize's conservation and development needs."

A highlight of today's event was the unveiling of the name of this plan by Prime Minister John Brice�o and the TNC Belize Programme Director. Through an open voting process hosted on Facebook, the Belize Sustainable Ocean Plan was chosen by the public.

During the event, the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, (CZMAI) the agency leading the MSP process, described the vision for the MSP as "A healthy, resilient, and equitably shared ocean that supports a thriving national economy and nurtures the culture and well-being of all Belizeans", which would be achieved by developing and implementing a legally enforceable plan that guides sustainable development and designates up to 30% of Belize's ocean as Biodiversity Protection Zones. The planning process will be based on cutting-edge science and the best available data, and it will be guided by the principles of inclusivity, participation, transparency, and equity. CZMAI also shared the 5-year timeline for this planning process and explained how it will be integrated with other initiatives within the national planning framework.

Belize's $US 364 million debt conversion for marine conservation, signed in November 2021, allowed Belize to low�er its sovereign commercial debt by BZ $378 M (US $189 M) and create long-term, sustainable financing of approximately BZ $8.4 M (US $4.2 M) annually for ocean conservation for the next 20 years. The development of a legally enforceable MSP will be a critical process and tool in ensuring that Belize meets its conservation commitments, preserves its valuable natural resources, and supports the growth of the national economy.


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