The Telegram (St. John’s)

May 15, 2002

Sharon Matola, the director of the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, asks Fortis and Fortis shareholders, “Why do this to Belize?”

With the annual Fortis shareholders meeting in Newfoundland upon us, I would appreciate the opportunity to comment about the area in Belize that would be destroyed if Fortis’s plans to develop the Chalillo Dam are realized.

I just returned from a two-week biological survey in this area, and Fortis shareholders should be aware of the unmatched natural history this river valley supports. My research partner, Eligorio Sho, a Maya Indian (and on his way to Newfoundland to voice his opposition to this hydro project), and myself, documented nest sites of one of the rarest birds remaining in Central America, the Scarlet Macaw. All five of these nest sites would be drowned by the development of the Chalillo dam.

Mr. Sho and I, after years of research, believe that no more than 150 scarlet macaws remain in our country. These nests are vital to their continued struggle to survive in the wild. After watching these birds, catching glimpses of their behaviour – the result of thousands of years of evolution – and knowing their future would be doomed, I now want to ask Fortis and its shareholders: why do this to Belize?

We are a nation that depends upon a healthy base of natural resources to empower our economy. Why do you want to weaken the cornerstone of our economic stability? Why should we compromise our natural resources for a hydro project which is economically and environmentally unsound?

On this same trip, we came upon an undocumented Maya ruin. My Maya Indian colleague stood at this ancient site, a place of his ancestors. I could feel his emotion, knowing this cultural treasure, too, would be lost forever should the dam go forward.

Do know this: the Chalillo dam makes no economic sense for Belize. This dam would weaken the natural integrity of Belize and it would destroy important cultural heritage in our country. Also know that those of us who live in Belize and care about the future of this developing nation will continue to oppose the Fortis dam.

Sharon Matola
Director
Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center