Belize’s coastal waters contain the core of the largest coral reef system in the western hemisphere, with almost 60 species of coral, three of sea turtles and 500 of fish. The Mesoamerican Reef weaves along shallows from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to the north, through Belize to Guatemala and Honduras to the south and east. This extraordinary resource is being degraded by overfishing, pollution, and unregulated development and tourism. Belizean officials, residents and businesses show low awareness of these threats and scant eagerness to restrain them. Media have provided extremely limited coverage of this problem, and even that has been reactive, shallow and lacking in enterprise.

The November workshop was the first of two that ICFJ plans to help Belizean journalists to report on conservation issues more effectively. ICFJ also is helping conservation groups and scientists communicate better with the media and sponsoring awards for the best conservation coverage. By training journalists, ICFJ can help increase professionalism and interest on this important topic. Journalists in turn will help inform the public and build a constituency for conservation of biological diversity in Belize.

Program Activities and Outcomes

In two workshops, ICFJ will recruit and train up to 15 Belizean journalists to improve their coverage of coastal and marine conservation.

In year two, ICFJ will administer a four-day workshop on management of the terrestrial and near-shore environment. Journalists will interview people who are working on locally-based solutions, such as: monitoring and assessment of marine resources; controlling agricultural runoff; controls on coastal housing and commercial development; evaluating and regulating the impact of cruise boats, smaller boats, fishing, snorkelling and SCUBA diving.

In November, ICFJ journalism trainers visited newsrooms to coach reporters and promote environmental news to editors and owners. Participants in the workshop announced plans to launch the Belize Environmental Reporters Network (BERN) to enable journalists to exchange information about environmental coverage.

Finally, ICFJ will run Biodiversity Reporting Award (BDRA) contests for Belize in years two and three. Conservation International, ICFJ and the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) have run this contest in six countries for five years. Conservation International (CI) has recently expanded the contest to eight countries. First prize for each country is an expenses-paid trip to an international conference on environmental journalism or conservation. Second and third prizes have been cash awards. Winners also receive training materials and plaques that are awarded in ceremonies in each country. The new Belize contest will be part of a second group of contests administered by ICFJ, with help from CI.

ICFJ expects to boost reporters’ and editors’ enthusiasm for conservation stories and knowledge about how to cover them. Specific products and indicators include:

• ICFJ trainers are developing a baseline evaluation of story quantity and quality of environmental coverage by print and broadcast media over two prior years.
• In the second and third year of the project, 10 to 20 stories on marine conservation that have been broadcast or published will be submitted to the BDRA contest. Award ceremonies will honor Belizean BDRA winners and their media organizations, bringing greater awareness of the issue and highlighting exceptional coverage. The first prize winner will attend an international conference on environmental journalism and/or conservation. Second and third prizes are cash. All winners will receive commemorative plaques, certificates and journalism training materials.

Faculty and BDRA contest judges will evaluate each year’s stories and compare them with prior years and the baseline. Annual program reports will summarize the evaluations and analyses as well as attitudes of editors and owners and the opinions of selected conservation leaders about media performance.

In addition, faculty will conduct an oral evaluation and program synthesis session at the end of each workshop, and individual program participants will be asked to complete a written evaluation form. ICFJ also will conduct a longer-term impact assessment by sending participants an additional evaluation and questionnaire two to three months after the completion of each training activity. This questionnaire addresses how participants were able to apply what they had learned, which new skills were most useful, how many stories they have produced as a result of the program, etc.

Personnel, Local Partner and Faculty

For 20 years, The International Center for Journalists has been conducting international exchange and training programs for journalists from countries that span the globe. ICFJ programs vary from news media management to basic reporting to advanced investigative reporting. This program is administered by ICFJ’s Science & Environmental Division, which has directed a series of workshops for journalists in South and Central America, as well as other parts of the planet. ICFJ’s professional staff includes veteran print and broadcast communications professionals, as well as experienced media trainers with a vast array of skills and international experience. Following are biographies of the key staff who will be involved in this program.

Program Details

What: A three-day workshop on marine resources, fishing pressure, coral damage and pollution impacts. Participants gained skills in basic story-telling as well as advanced investigative reporting techniques. They also gained access to useful experts, materials, NGOs, Internet resources and listservs of environmental journalists from the Caribbean, Latin America, the U.S. and the world.

When: November 24-26

Where: St. George's Caye

For more information click here.
To download a program agenda, click here.

For information, please contact:
Rob Taylor, Director
Science & Environmental Programs
International Center for Journalists
1616 H St., NW, Third Floor
Washington, DC 20006 USA
Phone (202) 349-7601
Fax (202) 737-0530
E-mail: rtaylor@icfj.org
Web: www.icfj.org
Web: www.ijnet.org

Robert A. Thomas, Ph.D., Director
Center for Environmental Communications
Loyola University Box 199
6363 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 USA
Phone (504) 865.2107
Fax (504) 865-3799
E-mail: rathomas@loyno.edu
Web: www.loyno.edu/lucec