jan-2018

14 15 OPENING LINES BELIZE SAYS “NO!” TOOFFSHORE OIL B elize hasmade historybyunanimouslypassing the PetroleumOperations (OffshoreZoneMora- torium) Bill,2017,whichwill place an indefinite moratoriumon offshore oil in Belize’smarine territory.This decision has beenwelcomed byOceana,the WorldWildlife Fund (WWF),and other members of the Belize Coalition to SaveOur Natural Heritage as a land- mark step forward to protect the Belize Barrier Reef and strengthenmarine conservationworldwide. This action is historicgiven Belize’s economicdepen- dence on its natural resources andwill safeguard invalu- ablemarine environments including the second longest barrier reef in theworld,which runs along Belize’s coast. Just as importantly,this lawrecognizesandrespects the collective leadershipandpersistent involvementof tensof thousandsofBelizeans formore thansevenyearsonthe issueof offshoreoil. Oceana,the largest international advocacyorganization dedicatedsolelytooceanconservation,hasbeenanunwav- eringsupporterof thiscall of theBelizeanpeoplesince itbe- gan intheaftermathof theBPoil spill intheGulfofMexico in April 2010andwithinthe realitythatBelize’sentireoffshore areahadalreadybeensoldasoil concession licenses. “This is truly‘ThePeople’sLaw.’Belizeanshave remained steadfast intheiropposition to offshore oil since theybe- came aware that marine assets were at riskof irreversible damage from the offshore oil industry,”saidOceana’sVice President for Belize,Janelle Chanona. This news brings hope that the Belize Barrier Reef,a UNESCOWorldHeritage Site,will no longer be consid- ered a“Site inDanger”as oil was identified as a direct threat to the site’s integrity. “We urge Belize’s government to followtoday’s historic announcement with the additional actions needed to ensure the site is removed fromUNESCO’s in danger list,” saidNadia Bood fromWWF.