Carib Scope

分类： environment

  • Ferguson: El Niño Could Last Until August 2027, Irrigation Is the Key

    Ferguson: El Niño Could Last Until August 2027, Irrigation Is the Key

    A potentially record-breaking El Niño event, already bringing abnormally dry conditions to Belize for most of 2026, could persist through August 2027, according to the country’s top agriculture official. Forecasters have warned that this El Niño may rank as the most intense recorded since systematic climate tracking began in 1950, posing prolonged risks to regional agricultural production. Belize’s Agriculture Minister Rodwell Ferguson highlighted that adaptive water management, specifically robust irrigation infrastructure, is the most critical protection for farming operations against the extended dry conditions.

    In an interview with local reporters, Ferguson confirmed the extended timeline for the weather event, noting that current timely rainfall across the country offers a temporary reprieve. Officials are optimistic that these rainy conditions will hold through January or February 2027, providing a critical window to prepare for the drier months ahead. Beyond national preparation efforts, Ferguson — who also serves as president of the Central American Agriculture Council — is leading cross-regional planning to address the shared climate threat. The council has drafted a regional proposal to upgrade irrigation infrastructure across Central America, but the initiative remains contingent on securing funding from individual member nations.

    When questioned about whether Belize’s Cabinet has committed domestic funding for irrigation upgrades, Ferguson acknowledged the constraints facing the small Belizean economy. With multiple competing public investment priorities across government sectors, the agriculture ministry is advancing its requests incrementally, with no final funding approval secured to date. To support immediate farmer preparedness, the ministry has launched outreach initiatives urging agricultural producers to prioritize on-farm water access. Currently, the government is encouraging all farmers to install functional water pumps on their properties and complete routine maintenance to ensure equipment is ready to sustain crop water supplies through prolonged dry spells.

    As the region waits for the El Niño event to run its course, officials maintain cautious optimism, stress that proactive preparation will mitigate the worst impacts of the dry conditions. The regional irrigation upgrade project, if fully funded, would create long-term climate resilience for Central American agricultural sectors that are repeatedly exposed to El Niño-driven drought cycles.

  • NEMO Says Disaster Risks Never Stop

    NEMO Says Disaster Risks Never Stop

    As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season counts down to its official end on November 30, Belize’s top emergency management agency is delivering a critical public reminder: natural hazard risks do not adhere to seasonal calendars. The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) is pressing all Belizeans to maintain consistent disaster preparedness year-round, emphasizing that threats ranging from structural fires to tsunami events demand constant vigilance, alongside ongoing monitoring of the lingering El Niño climate pattern that has shaped this year’s weather.

    In a public briefing shared this week, National Emergency Coordinator Daniel Mendez stressed that preparedness cannot be a last-minute rush when a storm approaches. With more than six weeks remaining between the October 19 announcement and the official end of hurricane season, Mendez noted that unpredictable weather events can still emerge before the calendar turns to December.

    “November 30 marks the formal close of hurricane season, but anything can happen between now and that date,” Mendez explained. “The core message here is that preparedness is a permanent priority, not a seasonal task. You don’t wait until a hurricane is visible on the horizon to start putting your emergency plans in place. That is a core principle NEMO promotes 365 days a year, and you will always hear us repeating this call.”

    Mendez went on to clarify that disaster planning extends far beyond tropical cyclones, which are the primary focus of official hurricane season preparations. Belize faces a broad spectrum of potential hazards that can strike at any time, including urban and wildland fires, and tsunami risks stemming from seismic activity in adjacent Caribbean waters. All of these threats require advance planning from both individuals and communities, he said.

    Alongside the Belize Meteorological Service, NEMO has been continuously tracking El Niño, the climate phenomenon that warms eastern Pacific ocean waters and alters global weather patterns. The Met Service correctly forecast that El Niño would lead to a less active 2026 hurricane season, but it also warned that any rainfall events would be far more intense than usual – a pattern Mendez confirmed the country is already experiencing.

    Crucially, NEMO projects that El Niño’s disruptive impacts on Belize’s weather will not end when hurricane season closes. The effects are expected to persist well into 2027, requiring ongoing coordination between the emergency agency and meteorological teams to monitor changing conditions and respond to emerging hazards.

    Beyond public messaging, NEMO is also working to strengthen local response capacity by rolling out a new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program targeted at select neighborhoods in Belize City. The initiative is designed to train local residents to respond to small-scale emergencies immediately before official first responders arrive, boosting overall community resilience to all types of disasters.

    This report is a transcript of an evening television newscast, with all Kriol-language remarks transcribed using a standardized spelling system.

  • Dominican, Barbadian young professionals selected for regional climate fellowship

    Dominican, Barbadian young professionals selected for regional climate fellowship

    As global momentum builds to accelerate climate action ahead of the next United Nations climate conference, two promising young professionals from the Caribbean have earned a coveted spot in a prestigious regional climate leadership initiative designed to nurture the next generation of climate advocates. Christianna Paul, a rising specialist from Dominica, and Tristan Ward of Barbados, were selected from hundreds of applicants across the Caribbean to join the fellowship programme organized by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).

    Funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), this unique opportunity will grant Paul and Ward unprecedented access to join the CCCCC’s official delegation at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled to convene in Antalya, Türkiye from 9 to 20 November 2026. The selection process followed a open regional call for applications held between 10 and 21 August 2026, which was open to all CARICOM nationals between the ages of 18 and 30. According to CCCCC officials, the call drew overwhelming interest from young working professionals across the bloc, highlighting the growing appetite among Caribbean youth to engage with climate action.

    The core mission of the leadership programme extends far beyond just attendance at the global conference. Through a structured combination of targeted professional training, one-on-one mentorship from experienced climate experts, cross-regional collaborative projects, and hands-on practical exposure to international climate governance, the initiative aims to give participants a nuanced, on-the-ground understanding of how climate change impacts the Caribbean, and how regional priorities can be advanced on the global stage. It also prioritizes building core skills: strengthening participants’ ability to communicate climate challenges to diverse audiences, advocate for evidence-based, impactful climate policy, and step into leadership roles driving local and regional sustainable development.

    Dr. Mark Bynoe, CCCCC’s Director of Business Strategy and Regional Coordination, commended the exceptionally high calibre of all candidates who submitted applications for the fellowship. He noted that the strong response to the call reflects a rapidly growing community of young Caribbean people ready to confront the climate challenges that will define the region’s future for decades to come.

    “Our goal with this fellowship is to give these emerging leaders a front-row seat to how global climate negotiations work, so they can bring that knowledge home to their communities,” Bynoe explained. The CCCCC expects Paul and Ward to share the key takeaways from their COP31 experience with peers, local organizations and youth groups across the Caribbean, embedding their new skills into ongoing climate action at every level.

    Beyond the conference itself, the fellowship will also create lasting professional value for the two participants. They will have the chance to connect directly with leading climate scientists, senior government negotiators, and other key stakeholders from across the global climate ecosystem, building professional networks that will support their work to advance climate resilience and sustainable development in the Caribbean for years to come.

  • OP-ED: The many faces of El Niño

    OP-ED: The many faces of El Niño

    Across Latin America and the Caribbean, early 2024 laid bare the chaotic, uneven damage a single climate phenomenon can unleash. In Bogotá, Colombia, the Chingaza system — which supplies 70% of the capital’s drinking water — dropped to just 16% of its total capacity in April 2024, forcing city officials to implement strict water rationing for residents. Just one month later, Grenada declared a national water emergency after prolonged drought pushed reservoir levels to historic lows, prompting nationwide water use restrictions. Further north, Panama’s ongoing dry conditions forced authorities to cut daily shipping transits through the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most critical global trade arteries, from 36 to just 22 vessels a day.

    In stark contrast, Ecuador faced the opposite extreme between December 2023 and March 2024: El Niño-fueled extreme rainfall flooded communities, displacing roughly 160,000 people and destroying more than 35,000 homes. Four nations, one climate driver, drastically divergent outcomes — a pattern that defies the common public misconception that El Niño only brings drought. While some regions face extreme dryness, others face catastrophic flooding, making uniform, one-size-fits-all disaster response strategies obsolete, argues Sergio Díaz-Granados, Executive President of CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.

    This urgent lesson comes as a new, particularly intense El Niño event builds strength across the Pacific Ocean. The World Meteorological Organization projects the event will peak in December, with the potential to rank as the strongest El Niño recorded in the last century. For millions of vulnerable communities already grappling with chronic climate challenges, this event poses a direct threat to public health, livelihoods and long-term development. The impacts stretch far beyond immediate emergency conditions: water scarcity and flooding disrupt access to basic services including clean drinking water and electricity, while amplifying risks to public health and global food security.

    Secondary effects compound these risks, including widespread losses in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, critical infrastructure damage, broken global supply chains, and potential consumer price hikes. A climate shock of this scale can quickly escalate into a cascading economic, social and fiscal crisis for small and mid-sized nations across the region.

    Against this backdrop, Díaz-Granados emphasizes that Latin America and the Caribbean must shift from a reactive cycle of disaster response to proactive preparedness. To support this transition, CAF has launched an initial $1 billion financing package to help regional nations strengthen their pre-emptive planning and response capacity for the 2026–2027 El Niño event. These funds will address both immediate urgent needs and long-term climate resilience priorities, breaking the long-standing pattern that has dominated regional disaster management: respond to the crisis, rebuild what was destroyed, recover what is salvageable, and wait for the next disaster to strike.

    CAF’s approach combines targeted financing, institutional capacity building, and cross-regional coordination to supplement national government efforts, turning commitment into tangible action. As part of the third International Economic Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean, scheduled for January 27–28, 2027 in Panama, CAF will convene the first ever Meeting of Ministers of Economy of Latin America and the Caribbean. The gathering will focus explicitly on disaster risk financing and strengthening national fiscal institutions to withstand climate shocks. Attendees will collaborate to address the unique challenges El Niño presents, share cross-border adaptation experiences, and advance policy instruments that help nations anticipate, manage and transfer climate risk, protect public budgets, and respond to emergencies more effectively.

    In addition to the meeting, CAF will develop a regional white paper outlining customized recommendations and proven good practices tailored to the diverse geographic and socioeconomic realities across Latin America and the Caribbean. This work will be paired with the development of practical climate risk management tools, targeted technical assistance programs, and shared knowledge exchange platforms that connect governments and institutions across the region.

    While recent devastating events across the region highlight that not all natural disasters can be predicted with perfect accuracy, advances in climate science and data analysis have created unprecedented opportunities to identify emerging threats, model potential impacts, and reduce community vulnerability. The core challenge now is translating that scientific knowledge into actionable policy, and turning policy into effective protective capacity for people, national economies and vulnerable territories.

    El Niño will manifest in countless ways across the region, so climate action must be equally diverse. The ultimate goal is to stop predictable climate threats from repeatedly erasing hard-won development gains for nations across Latin America and the Caribbean. CAF is backing this regional effort with targeted financing, specialized knowledge and concrete, actionable initiatives to build a more resilient future.

  • Dominica’s geothermal project wins two regional awards, minister Vince Henderson honoured for leadership

    Dominica’s geothermal project wins two regional awards, minister Vince Henderson honoured for leadership

    Small island developing state Dominica has emerged as a regional leader in renewable energy transition, claiming three top honors at the 2026 Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) held in Panama City from October 14 to 16 for its transformative national geothermal development initiative.

    The country’s flagship geothermal project took home two major institutional awards: Best Caribbean Energy Project and Best Financing Programme. In addition, Dr. Vince Henderson, Dominica’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy, received the individual Caribbean Energy Leadership MVP Industry Award in recognition of his pivotal role in advancing the project from planning to commercial operation. Dr. Henderson accepted all three awards on behalf of the Dominican government and people, according to an official press statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) of Dominica.

    This regional recognition comes just three months after Dominica’s 10-megawatt geothermal power plant, located in Laudat of the Roseau Valley, officially launched commercial operations in July 2026, following the successful completion of all mandatory safety and performance testing. The facility is now integrated into the country’s national power grid, marking a historic milestone in Dominica’s decades-long push to cut reliance on imported fossil fuels and achieve full energy independence.

    The Best Financing Programme award highlights the innovative investment strategy and cross-sector partnerships that overcame unique barriers to delivering large-scale energy infrastructure in a small island developing state. For years, small island nations have faced disproportionate challenges accessing affordable capital and technical expertise for major renewable energy projects, making Dominica’s success a model for the region.

    Dr. Henderson’s individual award honors his steady leadership through every phase of the project, navigating complex technical negotiations, securing multiyear financing, and addressing setbacks that emerged over the course of development. In comments following the award ceremony, the minister reflected on the years of effort required to deliver the project, emphasizing that for a small nation like Dominica, advancing a geothermal project of this scale required unwavering conviction, tough strategic decisions, and relentless persistence through years of technical and financial headwinds.

    “These awards recognize that effort and affirm that Dominica can deliver major projects with regional significance,” Dr. Henderson said. “I am especially proud that our geothermal resources are now generating electricity for our people, giving us greater control over our energy future and a stronger foundation for long-term economic development.”

    The minister was quick to share credit for the achievement, noting that the success belongs to all Dominican people. He highlighted the critical vision and sustained support from Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the tireless work of local and international project teams, and the shared commitment of partner organizations that made the investment possible. “Our responsibility now is to build on this investment so that greater energy independence translates into more affordable electricity, stronger businesses and better opportunities for our people,” he added.

    In its official statement, the Dominican Office of the Prime Minister framed the triple honors as a national achievement that validates the country’s long-term commitment to building a cleaner, more climate-resilient energy system and advancing toward full energy independence. The win also positions Dominica as a benchmark for other small island developing states across the Caribbean seeking to leverage their own natural renewable resources to drive sustainable development.

  • Antigua records moderate long-term drought after nearly a year of dry conditions

    Antigua records moderate long-term drought after nearly a year of dry conditions

    The Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service has officially confirmed that Antigua has been gripped by moderate long-term drought over the 12-month period ending September 2026, triggering widespread alarm over the knock-on effects of accumulated rainfall shortfalls on the island nation’s critical water supplies and agricultural sectors. These conclusions were released to the public in the service’s October 2026 Monthly Climate Summary, which documents that consistently drier-than-average conditions persisted across Antigua from October 2025 through the end of September 2026.

    All drought classifications in the report were calculated using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), a globally accepted scientific metric designed to measure the deviation of precipitation levels from historical averages across varying time scales. While the full 12-month window resulted in a moderate drought classification, shorter time frames revealed far more severe dry conditions across the island. The meteorological agency confirmed that between April and September 2026, Antigua experienced severe drought, with precipitation falling well below expected levels.

    Breaking down the data further, the three-month period from July to September 2026 was also categorized as moderately dry, while the 30-day snapshot for September alone showed only slightly below-average precipitation. Even with scattered rain events across the island during September, the total rainfall recorded was not enough to erase the cumulative rainfall deficit that built up over the preceding months. Antigua’s average rainfall across September measured just 88.1 millimeters (3.47 inches), a figure officially marked as below the long-term normal for the month. At V.C. Bird International Airport, one of the island’s key monitoring sites, total rainfall for September reached only 68.8 millimeters (2.68 inches).

    Throughout September, Antigua saw an 11-day continuous dry stretch, even as the month included 10 individual wet days and a separate five-day period of consistent rain. Precipitation was also highly uneven across geographic regions, with the southern part of the island recording far higher totals than other areas. The highest monthly rainfall total was documented at Cobbs Cross in St. Paul Parish, which hit 112.5 millimeters (4.43 inches) – including a heavy 24-hour downpour on September 16 that delivered 62 millimeters (2.44 inches) of rain. The report emphasizes that isolated heavy downpours like this are rarely enough to reverse the damage and water shortages caused by months of accumulated deficit.

    Prolonged drought poses well-documented risks to water security, as extended dry conditions reduce the refill rate for reservoirs, limit groundwater recharge, and shrink all other natural water sources that Antigua depends on. For the island nation, where natural rainfall forms the backbone of national water resource management strategies, months of below-average rain put significant additional strain on existing water storage infrastructure and distribution systems.

    Beyond water supplies, Antigua’s agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable to extended precipitation shortfalls. Lower soil moisture slows crop growth, forces farmers to increase irrigation use, and creates heightened financial and operational pressure for producers who rely on natural rainfall to support their operations. For livestock operations, extended dry conditions also reduce the availability of both drinking water for animals and natural pasture for grazing, creating additional challenges for the agricultural industry.

    Notably, the Meteorological Service’s report did not include a quantitative assessment of how the drought has already impacted crop output or current water storage levels across the island. For Barbuda, Antigua’s sister island, the agency explained that limited on-the-ground monitoring data made it impossible to produce a definitive drought assessment for both short and long-term time frames. However, satellite-based precipitation estimates indicate that dry conditions on Barbuda mirror the drought pattern recorded across Antigua.

    The report’s findings underscore the critical need for ongoing long-term monitoring of precipitation patterns, as short-term rain events only deliver temporary relief rather than resolving months of accumulated water deficit. The current assessment reflects conditions only through the end of September 2026, and the agency has not yet released data to confirm whether the drought has intensified or eased during October 2026.

  • Cupid the Green Turtle Shows Progress After a Month of Therapy

    Cupid the Green Turtle Shows Progress After a Month of Therapy

    In a hopeful update from marine conservation group Ecomar, a young green sea turtle dubbed Cupid has recorded notable progress following four weeks of specialized electrical stimulation therapy to treat a debilitating bone infection.

    Ecomar, which runs a sea turtle rehabilitation program in formal collaboration with the local Fisheries Department, first diagnosed Cupid with osteomyelitis, a painful inflammatory bone infection, earlier this year. The infection took a significant toll on the juvenile turtle’s shoulder joints, leaving her with severely limited mobility in her front flippers that impaired her ability to swim naturally.

    To address the mobility loss, the rehabilitation team turned to Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) therapy, a targeted treatment designed to reactivate impaired muscle function and support damaged joint recovery. After a full month of consistent treatment, experts have observed clear positive changes in Cupid’s swimming behavior. Most notably, she has begun coordinating movement between both of her front flippers simultaneously, a milestone she was unable to reach before starting therapy.

    While the recent progress is encouraging, Ecomar notes that full recovery from osteomyelitis in sea turtles is a slow process that can take 12 months or longer of ongoing care. To rally public support for Cupid’s recovery journey, the organization has issued a public appeal, asking wildlife enthusiasts around the world to send positive healing energy for the young turtle’s continued improvement.

    Green sea turtles are a globally protected species, facing ongoing threats from habitat degradation, pollution, and accidental injury in marine environments. Rehabilitation programs like the one run by Ecomar play a critical role in rescuing injured individuals and supporting their eventual return to the wild.

  • Indrhi highlights Water Pact as key to Dominican Republic’s water security

    Indrhi highlights Water Pact as key to Dominican Republic’s water security

    At the 27th Conference of Ibero-American Water Directorates and Authorities (CODIA) held in Zaragoza, Spain, a senior Dominican water management official has laid out the Caribbean nation’s comprehensive strategy to strengthen national water security and upgrade cross-sector water distribution. Olmedo Caba Romano, executive director of the Dominican National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (Indrhi), used the platform to highlight the Dominican Water Pact 2021–2036, a landmark 15-year framework designed to drive systemic improvements in every dimension of water policy, from governance and sustainable management to conservation and resource protection.

    Caba explained that the Dominican government has leveraged inter-agency coordination through its newly established Water Cabinet to align efforts across public entities and guarantee stable water access for residential, agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors. Two additional oversight bodies — the Water Observatory and the Indrhi-led Committee for the Operation of Dams and Reservoirs (Copre) — work in tandem to coordinate evidence-based operational decisions, optimize water allocation, and shore up the country’s overall water resilience against growing supply pressures.

    Despite these institutional advances, Caba acknowledged that the Dominican Republic still faces a set of persistent challenges on its path to robust water management. Key priorities for action include expanding national forest cover to protect watershed health, upgrading management practices for upper and middle river basins, modernizing water-intensive agricultural production systems, advancing the approval of a long-overdue national water law, and adjusting existing water governance frameworks to account for the accelerating impacts of climate change.

    To strengthen collective progress across the Ibero-American region, Caba called for expanded participation of local water users in national decision-making processes, and proposed that CODIA launch a coordinated regional initiative to support widespread adoption of systematic hydrological planning as a core tool for effective water management and governance.

    Beyond the conference proceedings, Caba’s working visit to Spain included targeted knowledge-sharing and collaborative development activities. In Madrid, he held a strategic working meeting with officials from the Center for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works (Cedex) to advance plans for a new national hydraulics laboratory in the Dominican Republic. The facility, which will be developed in partnership with Dominican universities, will enable cutting-edge research, physical modeling, and performance testing for new and existing hydraulic infrastructure across the country. The Dominican delegation also conducted a study visit to Madrid’s Canal Isabel II, where experts walked the team through Spain’s proven approaches to urban flood control, stormwater storage, and integrated urban water resource administration.

  • Ontbossing Amazonegebied Brazilië op laagste niveau sinds 1988

    Ontbossing Amazonegebied Brazilië op laagste niveau sinds 1988

    In a landmark milestone for tropical forest conservation, Brazil has recorded a nearly 42% decline in Amazon rainforest deforestation, bringing total forest loss to its lowest level since official satellite monitoring began in 1988.

    New provisional data released by the Brazilian government Friday shows that 3,336 square kilometers of old-growth rainforest were cleared between August 2025 and July 2026. That marks a sharp drop from the 5,731 square kilometers lost in the previous 12-month monitoring period, and beats the previous record low of 4,571 square kilometers set in 2012. The figures, collected by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) via its comprehensive satellite tracking system, are set to be finalized in 2027.

    The dramatic reduction caps a 75% overall drop in Amazon deforestation since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to office in January 2023, reversing a years-long surge in forest destruction that occurred under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro’s 2019–2022 presidency. During Bolsonaro’s term, weakened environmental regulations and enforcement opened the Amazon to widespread illegal clearing, with more than 45,000 square kilometers of rainforest lost over four years.

    Upon taking office, Lula made Amazon protection a top policy priority, restoring the country’s national anti-deforestation action plan, boosting funding and legal authority for environmental enforcement agencies, and cracking down on illegal logging and unregulated land conversion for agriculture and mining. His administration’s strategy combines stricter on-the-ground inspections, harsh financial penalties for illegal clearing, restricted access to credit for environmental violators, and targeted investment in sustainable economic activities that do not require forest clearing. Officials say the new data proves that economic development and forest conservation do not have to be mutually exclusive.

    Progress is not limited to the Amazon. In the Cerrado, a vast savanna biome critical to Brazil’s agricultural productivity and national water security, deforestation fell by 23.8% over the same period. Some 5,517 square kilometers of native Cerrado vegetation was cleared, down from 7,235 square kilometers in the prior year, marking the lowest level of loss since monitoring of the region began in 2001.

    Still, losses remain concentrated in key frontier regions. Three states—Pará, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas—accounted for roughly three-quarters of all Amazon deforestation recorded in the latest monitoring period.

    Even with the historic decline in clearing, environmental experts warn the Amazon remains under severe, multifaceted threat. Beyond full deforestation, prolonged drought, unsustainable selective logging, and a recent surge in wildfires are causing widespread damage to remaining intact forest. In the first 12 days of October alone, the state of Amazonas recorded 1,558 active fire hotspots—nearly double the total recorded in the entire month of October last year.

    Climate patterns linked to El Niño have amplified ongoing drought conditions, increasing the risk that wildfires spread rapidly out of control. Smoke from these blazes has also worsened air quality and created public health risks in dozens of urban centers across the region. Experts emphasize that lower deforestation rates do not equal a secure future for the Amazon: gradual degradation of intact forest from fires and drought poses separate major threats to global biodiversity and the Amazon’s critical role as a carbon sink, which helps slow global climate change.

    The release of the positive deforestation data comes at a politically sensitive moment for Brazil, which is set to hold the second round of its presidential election on October 25, with Lula facing off against Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the former president. The two candidates represent starkly different approaches to environmental policy and economic development. Lula has committed to achieving net-zero deforestation across Brazil by 2030, and has positioned Amazon protection as a cornerstone of the country’s international climate diplomacy.

    By contrast, the Brazilian political right has broadly pushed back against strict environmental regulations, arguing they limit growth for key sectors including agriculture and mining. Environmental organizations warn that a change in government would lead to a rollback of enforcement and weaken protections for vulnerable biomes, meaning the election outcome will have far-reaching consequences for the future of Brazil’s forest protection agenda.

    Developments in the Brazilian Amazon also carry implications for the broader Amazon basin ecosystem, including neighboring Suriname. The Amazon rainforest regulates global rainfall patterns, stores billions of tons of carbon, and supports more than 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. A successful reduction in Brazilian deforestation also sets a global precedent for international cooperation on forest conservation and climate finance, offering a model for forest-rich nations like Suriname seeking to balance economic development with natural resource protection.

    Despite the historic progress, challenges remain: more than 3,300 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest were still lost over the past year, and sustaining the downward trend in deforestation while addressing growing risks from wildfires and climate change will remain an urgent priority for Brazil, regardless of the election outcome.

  • Over 1,000 Feet of Illegal Gillnet Pulled From Waters Near Temash-Sarstoon

    Over 1,000 Feet of Illegal Gillnet Pulled From Waters Near Temash-Sarstoon

    In a targeted enforcement action aimed at curbing destructive unauthorized fishing, Belize’s Fisheries Department has removed more than 1,000 feet of banned gillnet from open waters in the Temash-Sarstoon region of southern Belize, local broadcaster PGTV confirmed. The night operation was launched after authorities received credible tip-offs about unregulated fishing activity operating south of Punta Gorda, allowing enforcement officers to successfully locate and retrieve the large illegal net deployed in the area.

    Gillnets have been fully prohibited across all of Belize’s internal waters, territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone since November 2020, when the government enacted Statutory Instrument 158, formally the Fisheries Resources (Gill Net Prohibition) Regulations. Under the country’s strict regulations, anyone caught violating the ban faces maximum penalties of a $5,000 fine, six months of imprisonment, or both. The ban followed a two-year stakeholder process that included a structured transition program for licensed domestic gillnet fishers, who voluntarily surrendered their equipment in exchange for livelihood support.

    Marine conservation organizations have long sounded the alarm over the ecological harm of gillnets. Oceana Belize famously dubs the gear “walls of death,” as the indiscriminate nets trap and kill unintended marine species, including protected manatees, sea turtles and sharks, which suffocate after becoming entangled.

    The Temash-Sarstoon area is no stranger to this ongoing illegal activity, which has plagued southern Belize’s coastal ecosystems for years. Earlier in 2026, Coast Guard Commandant Rear Admiral Elton Bennett identified the southern Belize coastline as a persistent hotspot for unregulated gillnet deployment, with banned nets regularly recovered near Sarstoon, Barranco and Hunting Caye. While Bennett noted that authorities suspect the majority of these nets belong to fishermen from neighboring Guatemala, due to their proximity to the international border, no suspects have been apprehended during recent recovery operations to confirm this connection.

    This most recent seizure comes on the heels of a much larger recovery effort documented in 2025. That July, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) reported that Guatemalan and Honduran fishermen were routinely using gillnets, long lines and illegal night fishing tactics within the protected Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve. By mid-2025, the Belize Coast Guard had already removed more than 15,000 feet of gillnet – equal to roughly 100 full illegal nets – from the reserve.

    Following the latest seizure, local community members and residents have publicly praised the Fisheries Department for its rapid response to reports of illegal activity and its ongoing work to safeguard Belize’s valuable marine ecosystems and wild fisheries. Authorities are now urging the general public to continue reporting any suspicious unauthorized fishing activity to help enforcement teams stem the ongoing damage to protected marine resources.