Belize City and TASA Eye Partnership to Boost Climate Resilience

The Belize City Council is preparing to strengthen its partnership with the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association, or TASA, to support marine conservation and improve the city’s resilience to hurricanes and climate change.  Yesterday, Mayor Bernard Wagner led a council delegation on a tour of Turneffe Atoll ahead of the anticipated signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two organizations. The delegation included Councillors Stephanne Hamilton and Sherwin Garcia, along with the City Administrator, City Planner, CEMO Manager, Programmes Manager and other council employees.  During the visit, the team toured TASA’s radar-monitoring and compliance base, where personnel use technology to monitor activities across the atoll and assist with enforcing conservation regulations. The delegation also visited a fishing camp to learn more about the communities and livelihoods that depend on Turneffe’s marine resources.  The tour concluded at Calabash Caye, where TASA representatives provided an overview of the association’s work to protect and sustainably manage the ecosystem.  While Turneffe is internationally recognized as a leading destination for permit fishing, the atoll also provides an important layer of natural protection for Belize City. Its network of mangrove islands helps reduce the effects of storm surges and hurricanes along the country’s vulnerable coastline.  Turneffe also serves as a spawning and aggregation area for several marine species, supporting Belize’s fisheries, tourism industry, food security and coastal livelihoods.  The City Council says the visit highlighted the direct connection between the health of the atoll and the future resilience of Belize City. The proposed agreement is expected to provide a framework through which the council and TASA can collaborate on conservation, public education and climate-resilience initiatives.  The visit was hosted by TASA Executive Director Valdemar Andrade, Tourism Business Development Manager Delonie Coleman and the association’s team. It was sponsored by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust.