Opposition Mounts to Over-Water Development on Turneffe Atoll

By Chris Santella

Big Flat, at the southern end of Belize’s Turneffe Atoll, part of the Meso-American Reef, has thrilled generations of anglers. As the atoll’s largest backreef flat, it has nurtured bonefish, permit and tarpon for thousands of years; for the last 40 years, it has also sustained the economy that’s emerged to guide, feed, transport and house the thousands of anglers who travel here.

But if a proposed development is approved, Big Flat—and its surrounding ecosystem—will be forever altered.

The proposed development, known as Deadman Caye Group Resort-Turneffe, would consist of 22 cabanas (12 of them over the water), restaurant and workers quarters, a wastewater treatment system and elevated walkways connecting the three islets resting west of the flat. According to the Environmental and Social Impact Statement prepared by Tunich-Nah Consultants & Engineering on behalf of MML Investment LTD., the project would require considerable dredging (“under 1,000 cubic meters”) and “clearance of approximately 20% of terrestrial flora to place buildings.” Many specifics—where and how the property will store water (estimated at over 750,000 gallons annually), where wastewater will be discharged and where solar panels will be placed, for example—are not addressed in the report.

Turneffe Atoll is known for its permit fishing. Photo: Turneffe Flats

Not surprisingly, the environmental and flats fishing communities have been less than enthusiastic about the project.

“The backreef is a critical part of the atoll’s reef structure and an important feeding area for bonefish and permit,” said Dr. Addiel Perez, Belize-Mexico Program Manager for Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. “And the flats adjoining the proposed development would be severely impacted by dredging. The mangroves here provide important habitat for juvenile reef fish. Any disruption of the flats will also impact the coral reef. Over-the-water structures are particularly harmful because they disrupt habitat continuity, causing habitat fragmentation.”

It’s hard to overstate the economic importance of flats fishing for Belize. A study in 2014-15 showed that anglers’ pursuit of bonefish, permit and tarpon generates more than 112 million Belizean dollars annually, and supports over 2,100 jobs. (An earlier economic study in 2008 led Belize to codify catch-andrelease regulations for the three species.) Turneffe Atoll possesses about 14.7 percent of Belize’s 116,136 acres of coral reefs and 11.7 percent of the 237,094 acres of the country’s mangrove forests. The storm protection the atoll’s coral reefs and mangrove forests provide for the coast of mainland Belize (particularly Belize City) is valued at approximately BZ $380 million.

Turneffe Atoll is home to robust propulations of bonefish. Photo: Turneffe Flats

“Overall, this development is just a terrible idea,” said Craig Hayes, who founded and serves as the Board Chairman for the conservation group Turneffe Atoll Trust, and operates Turneffe Flats Lodge. “The reef ecosystem is not just the coral, the reef includes the forereef, the reef crest and the back reef. This proposed over-the-water structure is actually planned on the reef. It’s a terrible precedent. If this project is allowed, developers will be able to make a case for building on any flat on the eastern side of Turneffe, and elsewhere in Belize.” Another developer on the other end of Big Flat, Hakimi’s Dive Haven, has recently applied for a major expansion to include over-the-water structures and major mangrove deforestation.

Hayes pointed out that Belize has many good laws in place to protect coastal environments like Big Flat. “In order to push forward, they’d have to violate a number of the established laws,” Hayes continued. The project also appears to fly in the face of a number of government dictates:

• The Turneffe Islands Development Guidelines (adopted by the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute [CZMAI] in 2003) specifically address over-the-water development, stating “Over-the-water closed structures should not be allowed at Turneffe.”

• The Turneffe Atoll Coastal Zone Management Guidelines (developed by the CZMAI with input from stakeholders and regulators) state: “Due to the economic and ecological importance of Turneffe’s fringe reefs, patch reefs and backreef flats, management of Turneffe Atoll should ensure the integrity and health of these areas is carefully protected,” and, “Over the water closed-structures should be prohibited on Turneffe Atoll; particularly those which include bathroom facilities,” and finally, “development practices that damage commercial fishing and sport fishing habitats, particularly the backreef flats and seagrass beds, must be prevented.”

• The proposed plan calls for removal of 20 percent of mangroves in the development area. Chapter 213 of the Substantive Laws of Belize states that a permit shall only be granted if “the proposed alteration is not contrary to the public interest, and further that “even if the alteration degrades or changes the environment, such action will be, on the whole, beneficial and in the larger and long-term interests of the people of Belize.”

Turneffe Atoll Trust has successfully halted other projects deemed environmentally destructive by bringing lawsuits compelling the government to enforce its laws. “We’re prepared to do so again if the project is approved,” Hayes added.

As with so many societal challenges—conservation and otherwise—the outcome of the proposed development at Big Flat hangs in large part on the question of balancing short- and longterm benefits and consequences. This is certainly one way that the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA) frames its analysis of the development. (TASA was established in 2012 to co-manage the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve with the Belizean government.)

“TASA’s mandate is the day-to-day management of the reserve to sustain its long-term well-being, within the limits of established legislation which is there to protect unique coastal environments such as the Turneffe Atoll,” said Valdemar Andrade, TASA’s Executive Director. “We are committed to maximizing the reserve’s economic output for the well-being of Belizeans while maintaining its ecosystem resiliencies. We need to ensure that we’re looking at balance of return on investment for any activities. Belize is largely a natural resource-based economy, and the flats fishery is a big part of that. We have to weigh the short-term gains for a few versus long-term gains for the many; oftentimes, the larger group of people don’t have a voice.”

TASA, Andrade was quick to say, is not anti-development. “We’re open to speaking with developers,” he added. “But they need to operate within the regulations. Many times, developers are only looking at short-term revenue generation. They’re not considering potential damage to the ecosystem and the livelihoods and revenues they currently support in their natural state.”

TASA has gone on record to oppose the project, as it “is not in keeping with the designation of Turneffe Atoll as a Marine Reserve and would not be consistent with the tenets of the reserve as a designated protected area and the guidelines and regulations that are in place to guide development.”

“I believe that the Belizean government needs to make balanced decisions that benefit both local stakeholders and the economy—decisions that are beneficial in the long-term,” added Dr. Perez from BTT. “Yes, a new resort would create jobs and building materials would be sold in the short-term. But the ecological impact of the over-the-water development at Big Flat will have dire consequences for the economy in the long-term.”

Chris Santella is the author of 21 books, including the popular “Fifty Places” series from Abrams. He’s a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and TROUT.