Hello,

The future of one of Central America's most important wildlife
sites, Chalillo in the Macal Valley, Belize, remains uncertain after
the Privy Council in London failed to rule on plans by a Canada-
based multinational energy company to construct a controversial dam
in the area.

In December, five appeal judges of the privy council court, the
British Commonwealth's last appeal instance, deferred a judgement
sought by environmental campaigners from Belize. Their decision is
unlikely until some time later this year.

Chalillo is fast becoming the Three Gorges of Latin America.
Conservationists argue that the building of the 160ft-high
hydroelectric dam could wipe out much of the wildlife around the
upper Macal River Valley, which would be flooded. This includes 20%
of the world's remaining scarlet macaws, as well as rare jaguars,
tapirs and crocodiles.

Sharon Matola a member of the Belize conservation alliance Bacongo,
states:

"If the dam is built it will flood the macaws' nesting area. That
will eventually mean their extinction in Belize, where there are
only 200 left, because they don't build nests but live in holes in
trees - and the trees they choose occur nowhere else in the country.
Expecting the macaws to move elsewhere is like telling penguins to
get used to warmer weather. The tapirs (the Belize national animal)
need the special vegetation that is found in the area, plants which
grow in full sun and so have few toxins but plenty of nutrition. And
if the tapirs go, there'll be nothing to attract predators like the
jaguars to the area."

She went on to criticize the vast amount of capital being invested
in a doubtful value to the people of Belize.

"The dam won't give Belize energy security - it'll produce enough
power to run three large hotels. We could burn sugar cane waste,
which is abundant, or we could go on using the transmission line to
Mexico, or join the new Central American grid that's being planned."

Please go to < [www.proact-campaigns.net] >
where you will find a Proact campaign text or use the links to
petitions prepared by Belizean and Canadian conservation
organisations.

Généralités et Environnement

La forêt du Bélize menacée par un Barrage (en anglais)

Re: La forêt du Bélize menacée par un Barrage (en anglais)