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.
