First Blood, SATIIM Wins Small Victory

Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) met Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Deputy Prime Minister Gasper Vega after reporting a GOB move to allow seismic testing in a protected area.

On April 20 SATIIM issued a release expressing their discontent with the decision made by the Forest Department to grant permission to US Capital Energy Limited to do seismic testing activities in the Park. The agreement which resulted from this meeting allows SATIIM to co-manage the park with the Forestry Department. Gregory Choc, Executive Director, SATIIM:

“The Interim Agreement will certainly provide SATIM the opportunity to monitor the seismic testing in the national park. We have briefed our rangers; we have completed the training with the rangers and additional personnel on the ground on the environmental compliance plan and the permit. In those two documents the government signed with US Capital Energy there are clear specific detailed activities that they can and cannot do in the park. Those are some of the issues that we will be looking at so if we see any breach of these conditions we will notify the Forestry Department.”

The interim agreement will outline the role SATIIM will have in monitoring the seismic testing and ensuring that US Capital Energy Limited complies with the conditions of their permit.