Belize (2019-2020)

From 2019 to 2020, our company carried out a project in Belize aimed at implementing the SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) process in Belize. The project was commissioned directly by the government of Belize, specifically the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development (MAFFESD). The project was fully funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and our company succeeded in an open public tender. As subcontractors, we involved employees from the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague, Faculty of the Environment, whose pedagogical skills and expertise significantly helped the successful implementation.

The project was implemented in the form of a consulting service partly in the Czech Republic (preparation of documents, research work, processing of final outputs) and partly in Belize (consultation with local institutions, conducting local surveys, organizing seminars). The project included following activities:

• Conduct desktop review of SEA implementation regionally and internationally with a view to identify best practices and lessons learnt that could be adopted in the Belizean context
• Conduct a rapid institutional assessment of governance structures/mechanisms and recommend specific measures for the integration and implementation of SEAs
• Prepare a set of guidelines, based on best practices, for conducting SEA within priority ecosystem to inform and strengthen environmental management processes in Belize
• Propose a list of activities along with associated costs and timeline to implement SEA in environmental governance structures in Belize
• Develop and facilitate a sensitization workshop of the SEA process and opportunities for implementation in Belize
• Guide a pilot study on the application of SEA on an identified project

As part of the consulting service, a number of personal meetings were held with key institutions in Belize. In addition to the main recipient of the service (Department of the Environment at MAFFESDI), negotiations were also held with the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Economic Development and Petroleum, and representatives of professional associations and non-governmental organizations.

It should be noted that we have met with great interest in the issue and also with a relatively strong environmental awareness of the Belize authorities. The issue of climate change and sustainable development is perceived very sensitively in this small Caribbean country. Belize's economic income comes largely from tourism, agriculture and, more recently, the extraction of raw materials (oil). However, these activities, and in particular the mass tourism associated with the arrival of giant cruise ships, are also a threat to the local sensitive and rare ecosystems (Belize has one of the largest coral reefs in the world) and historical monuments (from the Mayan period).

Belize emphasizes the creation of conceptual strategic documents that can regulate the country's development and prevent environmental damage. These strategic documents should go through the SEA process when adopted by government bodies.

The main results include the transfer of know-how to representatives of Belize institutions and the preparation of a final report summarizing the recommendations for the implementation of the SEA tool in Belize.