PACT Launches $16.5 Million Conservation Investment Strategy for Belize’s Protected Areas System
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PACT LAUNCHES NEW CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
July 6, 2023 — (Belmopan, BZE) The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) launched its Conservation Investment Strategy 2023-2026 at a ceremony held at the Guanacaste National Park in Belmopan. This Investment Strategy is the second such plan to be implemented by PACT and will guide the Trust’s investment of BZ$16.5 million into the National Protected Areas System throughout 2023-2026.
The core objective
of the Strategy is to “Strengthen coordination and regulation of the BNPAS by
instituting a collaborative structure that mobilizes resources efficiently to
increase management presence and systematize data collection and analysis which
informs decision making” over the next three years. The Strategy was developed
through an evidence-based, participatory planning process that benefitted from
the input of a multi-stakeholder working group while also incorporating lessons
learned and best practices from the implementation of the preceding strategy.
This investment
aims to expand PACT’s footprint by targeting 40 protected areas across Belize,
which constitute approximately 60% of the National Protected Areas System. Through
this investment, PACT aims to (i) strengthen collaboration among protected
areas managers and co-managers in the use of resources, (ii) standardize
methodologies for biodiversity monitoring and assessment, (iii) increase public
awareness focusing on the benefits of protected areas, (iv) accelerate
financial stability of co-managers, (v) enhance species protection and climate
change strategies, and (vi) strengthen governance of public co-management
entities.
This vision goes
beyond the site-level to a landscape and seascape approach to protected areas
management to secure the biodiversity and ecosystem integrity of Belize’s
Protected Areas System.
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PACT is a statutory body that was formally established in January 1996 with the passing of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust Act, No. 15 of 1995. The functions of PACT are to encourage and promote, for the benefit and enjoyment of the present and future generations of the people of Belize, the provision, protection, conservation, and enhancement of the natural and cultural resources of Belize. The PACT is managed by a Board of Directors that is comprised of Government agencies, non-government organizations and individual experts.