Belizean Conservation Groups Receive Major Grants for Border Protection

Three Belizean conservation groups have received grants to strengthen forest protection and border management in the southern and western parts of the country.  The grants were awarded to Ya’axché Conservation Trust, Friends for Conservation and Development, and the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, or SATIIM. Each organization will receive just under 140 thousand euros, equivalent to approximately 327 thousand Belize dollars.  The funding is being provided through a partnership involving the Government of Belize, the European Union and the International Organization for Migration.  Ya’axché will use its grant to strengthen conservation efforts in southern Belize’s Maya Golden Landscape. The project will focus on ranger training, better coordination among enforcement agencies and greater involvement from nearby communities.  Friends for Conservation and Development will increase patrols, monitoring and surveillance inside the Chiquibul National Park. Its work will cover a 43.5-kilometre stretch along the park’s western border, an area where Belize’s natural and cultural resources remain vulnerable.  SATIIM will train community members to serve as biocultural guardians. The Indigenous-led project will combine traditional knowledge with modern conservation practices to protect biodiversity in the area.  The three projects are intended to place more resources in the hands of the organizations and communities already working in Belize’s border areas. The European Union and IOM say the funding will also help connect environmental protection with border management and community development.