ANCHOR LINES SUMMER 2017

TAT has recently welcomed Nigel Martinez to our staff in Belize. For the past four years, Nigel has

worked in his spare time as the Executive Director for the Belize Federation of Fishers (BFF) while

working for the Belize Airport Authority.

As a full-time employee of TAT, Nigel will have the time required to effectively oversee BFF and ensure its success. BFF is Belize's only national organization representing commercial fishermen

and it is the umbrella organization for several regional associa-tions. Its primary mandates are education and advocacy for issues

impacting fishermen, including habitat protection, and capacity building for local associations. With Nigel's increased time com-

mitment, BFF should be able to improve its ability to provide a united voice and be the point of action for issues related to Be-

lize's commercial fishermen and the communities that depend up-on them. It's important to note that BFF will remain fully inde-pendent and without input or influence from Turneffe Atoll Trust.

A major part of Turneffe Atoll

Trust's mission is preserving

Turneffe's incredible habitat

which supports a thriving eco-

tourism sector and a produc-

tive artisanal fishery. To help us protect Turneffe's habitat, we recently formed the Fishermen and

Ecotourism Alliance (FETA) to advocate for habitat protection for the benefit of Turneffe’s two larg-

est stakeholder groups - ecotourism and commercial fishing.

We see FETA as a vibrant and symbiotic alliance with fishermen offering local expertize and political

influence while the ecotourism sector is able to pro-

vide international contacts and vital funding. Similar

alliances have been useful in other conservation ef-

forts such as the campaign to save the Alaskan Bristol

Bay from destructive mining.

Nigel Martinez's other primary responsibility will be

overseeing FETA. He is currently working on plans for

a major meeting of Turneffe's commercial fishermen

and ecotourism personnel which will be funded

through a grant from Fly Fishers International and

FISHERMAN’S ECO-TOURISM ALLIANCE

support from TAT. The meeting will likely take place in Sep-

tember or October in conjunction with the BFF Annual General

Meeting allowing FETA members the opportunity to network

and build relationships with fishermen from all over Belize.

As we move forward with FETA, we intend to hold educational

sessions on sustainable fishing, tourism and the sustainable

development of Turneffe Atoll. We will work on finding and

funding addition-

al ways to jointly

protect Turneffe's habitat, which may include public re-

lations campaigns and legal challenges when warranted.

Feedback across Belize has been very positive for Nigel's move to TAT and the improved management of both

BFF and FETA. Martinez notes: "It will be a great pleas-ure to be able to dedicate my time and energy to the fishermen of Belize and the habitat that they, and so

many Belizeans, rely upon,"

In late 2015, developers and Belizean governmen-

tal agencies violated several environmental laws

and regulations in approving an overtly destruc-

tive development on Turneffe. Before it could be

stopped, five acres of mangroves were deforested and a lagoon was dredged in the middle of the

property. TAT brought a legal challenge and a stop order was issued in January of 2016. Recently, a

Consent Order was accepted by the Supreme Court in Belize declaring the Environmental Compliance

Plan for this project to be "null and void". This is a major victory for Turneffe and for Turneffe Atoll

Trust's efforts in protecting

Turneffe.

Regrettably, significant dam-

age has been done and some

development may yet occur at

this site. The importance of

our legal action, however, has

been to solidifying some legal

issues related to development

within the Turneffe Atoll Ma-

rine Reserve and establishing

some important precedents.

We are aware that other de-

CONSERVATION OVERSIGHT

velopments have been placed on hold pending

this action and we are also aware that the Lands

Department has been informing people interest-

ed in purchasing land at Turneffe that they

should be aware that there are special require-

ments for development within the Turneffe Atoll

Marine Reserve.

TAT recently finished a detailed analysis of sever-

al past destructive developments at Turneffe, in-

cluding a 96 room hotel complex on Ropewalk

Caye. This analysis, which is available to all inter-

ested parties, addresses environmental and eco-

nomic consequences of these ill-advised develop-

ments and also summarizes the environmental

laws, regulations and recommendations that were circumvented.

TAT recently initiated a project to draft a manual for all those interested in development at Turneffe. This manual will compile the laws, regulations and guidelines for development on the atoll.. Environ-

mental laws and policies affecting development on Turneffe are sometimes difficult to access and evaluate. They involve multiple ministries and governmental agencies, in addition to the Marine Re-serve, and this often leads to confusion and misinformed decisions. This comprehensive summary of

the laws, regulations and policies affecting development at Turneffe Atoll is needed and success would mean a comprehensive and readily available manual to guide both developers and agencies.

We are seeking additional

funding to complete our

baseline analyses of Turn-

effe's Queen Conch and spiny lobster populations. This will include vigorous

monitoring programs and genetic analyses of both species. This research is

essential to understand the effectiveness of fisheries management interven-

tions and to verify Turneffe as a sustainable fishery.

We have completed the major por-

tion of the conch baseline analysis and we now seek to complete the genetic component so that the par-

ent stock of Turneffe conch can be identified and protected. Spiny lobster is the major fisheries product from Turneffe

and a similar baseline analysis is needed. Our objective is to determine the best technical approach for accomplishing

this project. We are seeking funding for these projects..

RESEARCH

We encourage you to watch Chasing Coral on Net-flix. This new film documents the perils of climate

change, a major threat to coral reefs globally. It also follows the tragic bleaching of the Great Bar-

rier Reef, which has been reduced to a third of its

former glory. In fact, the Mesoamerican Reef Sys-tem, which includes Turneffe Atoll, now contains

more living reef than the Great Barrier Reef. We need to do everything possible to save the portion of the World's reefs that remain and mitigate the

effects of the factors damaging our reefs including climate change and destructive development.

NEWS

Turneffe Atoll is part of the 20% of living coral

reef remaining in the Caribbean. That's right,

80% of Caribbean coral reefs are already gone.

Turneffe is one of the last wild coastal ecosys-

tems in the Caribbean and our ability to protect Turneffe from a host of threats largely depends upon

the support of those who have visited Turneffe, who understand its importance, who appreciate its

gifts, and who wish to see this most extraordinary place protected. As we all know, the reef is essen-

tial for the activities that we all enjoy so much including flats fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling.

If you would like to explore how you can make a permanent

impact on the protection of Turneffe Atoll, contact Conrad at

conrad@turneffeatoll.org or at 208-716-6109. Or you can

make a contribution on our website at turneffeatoll.org. TAT is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization and all donations are tax

deductible. For more information on our activities, visit our website or follow us on Facebook.

SUPPORT TURNEFFE

Turneffe Atoll Trust

P.O. Box 10670

Bozeman, MT 59719