Belize to focus on sustainable Cruise line Practices

(May 13, 2008 - DTB) -- Concerned about the impact of cruise lines on its coral reefs, members of dive destination Belize’s cruise tourism industry signed an agreement that commits them to create sustainable cruise tourism practices, such as protecting coral reefs.

The commitment is the second such environmental agreement developed for Caribbean passenger cruise destinations by Conservation International’s Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI). It is also the first to address considerations by an established nature tourism destination and will likely serve as a model for cruise line travel destinations around the world. The Belize Declaration of Commitment was signed by key industry stakeholders, including government, private sector, civil society (NGOs) and cruise lines.

Among the actions agreed to: enhance marine and coastal resource use management; improve tourism planning, basic tourism infrastructure and management of services/facilities for cruise ship visitors; foster adequate site monitoring and compliance with existing regulations; and promote conservation awareness among cruise ship visitors about Belize’s natural heritage.

As part of the agreement, cruise industry leaders have formed a Destination Stewardship Working Group through which they will collaborate to implement the commitments in the conservation agreement. Over the next six months, this Working Group will raise funds locally and implement several basic conservation projects that will demonstrate tangible improvements in the short-term, including the mooring buoy project that seeks to address anchor damage to coral at highly visited marine recreation sites around Belize City, and creating a conservation awareness video for cruise ship passengers that will help reduce the visitor footprint in threatened ecosystems by showcasing Belize’s rich biodiversity.

The video will also invite cruise ship visitors to help Belizeans in their conservation efforts by adhering to good practices when they interact with the environment. For more information, visit www.conservation.org.

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