Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CONSERVATION STRATEGY
In 1928 the southern tip of Half Moon Caye was established as a Crown Reserve to protect the
rare red-footed booby (
Sula sula
); other bird sanctuaries were established in the 1960s and
1970s. The
Forestry Act
of 1960 focused on forest reserves, and was passed primarily to protect
the country's timber industry rather than for conservation. In the period since independence,
the government has taken numerous measures to increase the area of land and sea under
protection, including the
Wildlife Protection Act
of 1981 (amended 1991), which created
closed seasons or total protection for endangered species like turtles, dolphins and manatees.
WORLD HERITAGE STATUS
Belize has also ratified and actively implements many
international
environmental
agreements. Seven reserves on the Belize Barrier Reef, totalling 55 square miles, were declared
World Heritage Sites in 1996: Bacalar Chico National Park, Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye
Natural Monuments, South Water Caye, Glover's Reef, Sapodilla Cayes and Laughing Bird Caye.
These and other protected areas form the
Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
, which has the
ultimate aim of forming a corridor of reserves from Mexico to Honduras, an aim aided by the
Tulum Declaration between all four coastal countries, promoting conservation and sustainable
use of the coral reef system.
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Three government ministries in Belize shoulder most of the responsibility for conservation
legislation, and ensuring compliance. The
Department of the Environment
has overall
responsibility for management of the country's natural resources, while the
Fisheries
Authority
monitors and enforces fishing regulations, and also manages the country's marine
reserves and responsible exploitation of commercially viable species. The
Coastal Zone
Management Authority and Institute
is responsible for implementing all policies that affect
the use of the coastal zone and for fostering regional collaboration.
Belize's timber reserves (including all mangroves) have always been under the compass of
the
Forest Department
(under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment). The
department's
Protected Areas Management Division
has responsibility for terrestrial
protected areas and the coordination of biodiversity management. Its
Wildlife Management
Programme
enforces the Wildlife Protection Act, and conservation o
cers have been
appointed to all the country's forest reserves.
Apart from attracting tourists to Belize and providing them with information, the
Ministry of
Tourism
licenses and trains the country's tour guides; you'll find the guides in Belize are highly
motivated guardians of the environment. The
National Institute of Culture and History
(NICH)
manages all cultural and historical features, including all
archeological sites
(which
are also reserves), and has responsibility for developing appropriate tourism packages.
MAKING A PACT
Government agencies have proved extremely successful in coordinating protection of the
reserves, almost always with the cooperation of the private sector and a range of local and
international NGOs. The dramatic increase in protected land has nonetheless posed the
question of financing. The
Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT)
was established in
1996 and has since become an international model. The primary source of income is a
conservation exit fee of Bz$ 7.50 per person, payable at all departure points. PACT also receives
twenty percent of entrance fees to protected areas and fees from cruise ship passengers; a
percentage is also invested in a trust fund as a long-term buffer against the vicissitudes of
government funding. For more information visit PACT's excellent website,
W
pactbelize.org.
prevents much light from reaching the floor, ensuring that the soil remains damp but
warm, a hotbed of chemical activity. The death of a large tree prompts a flurry of
growth as seedlings struggle towards the sunlight. But once a number of trees are
removed the soil is highly vulnerable; exposed to the harsh tropical sun and direct
rainfall, an area of cleared forest becomes prone to flooding and drought. Recently
cleared land contains enough nutrients for three or four years of crop growth, but soon
