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Damming Belize by Colin Woodard The following text excludes some non-indexable words. For the full text, please register. Belize's western mountains are an ecotourist's dream: largely uninhabited region dense tropical forests, wild rivers, cave complexes, Maya ruins bountiful wildlife. While many its Central American neighbors were clearing forests make way slash-and-burn agriculture, Belize has been making far more money keeping trees place. Today tourism nation¹s economic activity employs quarter its workforce. mountainous Cayo region one main draws.But Belize's government dead-set on building dam on upper Macal River, smack heart Cayo. $30 million Chalillo dam will flood 2,800 acres tropical forest home jaguars, ocelots, tapirs country¹s only known flock rare colorful scarlet macaw. "This prettiest river country," says Mick Fleming, who owns Chaa Creek Lodge, an ecotourism resort set jungle 20 miles downstream dam site. "We're going lose something incredibly valuable return an extremely small amount power." Plenty people Cayo agree with Fleming's assessment. city council district capital, San Ignacio, opposes dam, vice mayor testified against project during an unsuccessful attempt to block construction brought before Privy Council London last year. T-shirts banners bearing such slogans "The Macal Ours" are seen over town. "We use river drinking swimming tourism canoeing," explains San Ignacio hotel owner Maria Preston. "The river everything us." Belize extremely short on electricity, but it's unclear whether Chalillo best way meet shortfall. Fortis Inc., big Canadian company will build, own operate $30 million dam, says will double generating capacity on Macal River. "We believe hydroelectricity most environmentally friendly type energy out there most cost-effective Belize," says spokesperson Donna Hynes. But dam will substantially boost domestic electricity production, most power will generated times day when is more expensive than importing Mexico. A 2000 study California-based Conservation Strategy Fund estimated project would be net drag on Belizean economy. dam being built near an active fault line, Fortis admitted mischaracterized geological properties site. "This bad project way around," says Gráinne Ryder, policy director Probe International Toronto, which has led campaign against Chalillo Canada. "Fortis may make quick prof out it, but Belizeans will left with real costs generations."
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