Environmental Statistics for Belize 2012 Environmental Statistics for Belize 2012 Copyright © 2012 Lands and Surveys Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The Lands and Surveys Department would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this report as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or any other form of commercial use whatsoever. DISCLAIMER The information contained in this publication is based on information available at the time of the publication and may require updating. Please note that all efforts were made to include reliable and accurate information to eliminate errors, but it is still possible that some inconsistencies remain. We regret for errors or omissions that were unintentionally made. Lands and Surveys Department Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture Queen Elizabeth II Blvd. Belmopan, Belize C. A. Phone: 501-802-2598 Fax: 501-802-2333 e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] Printed in Belize, October 2012 [ii] Environmental Statistics for Belize 2012 PREFACE The country of Belize is blessed with natural beauty that ranges from a gamut of biodiversity, healthy forest areas, the largest living coral reef system in the world, ancient heritage and diverse cultures. The global trend of industrialization and development for economic development has not adequately considered the natural environment. As a result, globally our natural resources and environment face tremendous pressures and are at high risk of further disruption. In Belize, we are in an opportune time to ensure that our actions do not adversely impact our natural beauty and resources to unsustainable levels. Heads of States, and high level representatives of Governments and, inclusive of the full participation of civil society, met at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2012 to renew their commitments to sustainable development and to ensure the promotion of an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future of our planet taking into consideration present and future generations. It was a historic opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all - ‘The Future We Want.’ Countries reaffirmed their commitments to the Rio Principles and past actions such as the Agenda 21, Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, Barbados Programme of Action, Istanbul Programme of Action among many others for a greener economy and focus on poverty eradication. In the context of this global environmental movement for a greener economy and reaffirming our commitment to sustainable development, the Government of Belize releases the new edition of Environmental Statistics for Belize 2012, as per Agenda 21 principles. The Government is cognizant that the way to monitor our progress towards achieving sustainable development goals is by making critical information available for the evaluation, analysis and monitoring of the natural environment. Therefore, this report presents a set of important information required to evaluate our progress and influence better and more informed decision-making process. This report provides very useful information on national trends that are important for everyone to be aware of. Growing population, high poverty rates, declining forest cover, illegal logging, increasing water consumption, and several other negative trends require attention by the Belizean society. On the other hand, there are some positive trends such as increasing use of renewable energy, increasing crop production, and the growing number of protected areas that are noteworthy as they present great opportunities for the entire population. This new edition of the Environmental Statistics for Belize, 2012 is the sixth edition to be produced in Belize and contains data set corresponding to the year 2010. The publication is intended to be a statistical resource for the general public with interest in evaluating or understanding the state of the environment. This publication has been structured in such a way to enable users to better and fully understand the data presented on Belize’s environment. Notwithstanding the effort of producing this report, we are aware that there are still some data gaps; and we earnestly ask data producers to help us close these gaps which are indispensable in better evaluating the state of our natural environment. Data sources include administrative data, secondary data and data from surveys and from the population and housing census. Due to the data gaps this publication does not intend to cover all aspects of the natural environment instead key sectors have been highlighted such as: Agriculture, Forest, Fishing, Water, Sanitation, Tourism, Energy, Transport, Health and Natural Disaster Management. I therefore, would like to give special thank to Mr. Rafael Lima, Statistical Officer of the Land Information Centre, Lands and Surveys Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture who work arduously in the collection, compilation and analysis of this publication. I feel that this report will be an important asset to our stakeholders and will be used to evaluate our progress and guide our decisions towards achieving the goals for sustainable development as set forth at the global level. I take the opportunity as well to thank all those institutions and individuals that helped this report become a reality. Lets work together and shape ‘The future We Want’ as defined on the Rio +20 commitments! Honorable Gaspar Vega Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture [iii] Environmental Statistics for Belize 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Lands and Survey Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture wishes to express it sincere appreciation to each and every one that contributed in the development of this important and much needed resource document. The work contained herein this document may never have been developed in the way it has without the arduous work and dedication of many individuals, Government Ministries/Departments and the Private Sector. In addition, special thanks to the United Nations Statistical Division staff that willingly provided their time to peruse the draft manuscript and for providing invaluable comments and recommendations. The Department acknowledges and appreciates the efforts of all of the experts and sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development for the financial assistance provided, without their support this work would have not been possible. Suggestion and comments on how to improve the publication would be greatly appreciated and should be sent to the Principal Land Information Officer at the address below: Lands and Surveys Department Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture Queen Elizabeth II Blvd. Belmopan, Belize C. A. Phone: 501-802-2598 Fax: 501-802-2333 e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] [iv] Environmental Statistics for Belize 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ............................................................................................. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. IV CHAPTER 1: COUNTRY PROFILE ...................................................................1 GENERAL INFORMATION ............................................................................2 CHAPTER 2: POPULATION ..........................................................................5 CHAPTER 3: AGRICULTURE .......................................................................15 CHAPTER 4: MINING .............................................................................27 CHAPTER 5: FOREST & PROTECTED AREAS ....................................................33 CHAPTER 6: FISHERIES ............................................................................53 CHAPTER 7: WATER ..............................................................................71 CHAPTER 8: SANITATION ..........................................................................83 CHAPTER 9: TOURISM ............................................................................95 CHAPTER 10: ENERGY .........................................................................107 CHAPTER 11: TRANSPORT ......................................................................121 CHAPTER 12: HEALTH ..........................................................................135 CHAPTER 13: NATURAL DISASTER .............................................................147 CHAPTER 14: ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS .................................................159 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................165 ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................166 [v] Environmental Statistics for Belize 2012 LIST OF TABLES CHAPTER 1: COUNTRY PROFILE .................................................................................. 1 Table: 1.1 Main Economic Indicators, 1995 - 2010 .............................................................................. 3 Table: 1.2 Main Social Indicators, 1995 - 2010 ................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2: POPULATION ........................................................................................