Programme for Belize

Background to the Programme for Belize

The Threat

Tropical forests cover only a small proportion of the earth's surface yet are home to over 60 per cent of the world's plant and animal species. Destruction of the tropical forests is more than something to be quietly lamented; not only are we losing countless species of animals and plants at a rate 10,000 times greater than normal, we are also denying ourselves the potential benefits such diversity and abundance can bring.

While the urgency of halting this destruction is recognised, the fact remains however, that to countries struggling to improve their standard of living, the forest represents a major exploitable resource.
The challenge - one which has been taken up by the Programme for Belize - is how to link development and conservation in ways that advance the objectives of both while building the economy and helping Belizeans achieve a better standard of living.

About Belize

Belize map. See a larger version here.

Belize is a tiny country squeezed between the Caribbean Sea, Mexico and Guatemala. Covering an area of only 8800 square miles, it is about the size of Wales.

Belize was once populated by the Maya Indians and their legacy is a wealth of temples and edifices, now hidden in the forest. Its coral reef, which stretches the entire length of the coastline, is second only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. To the naturalist, the archaeologist, the scientist, the sympathetic traveller, and to the wildlife itself, Belize is still a paradise.

The Challenge

In 1988, the Massachusetts Audubon Society gave a substantial start-up grant to the Programme for Belize and from the beginning the Programme has recognised the importance of bringing together two potentially conflicting needs - that of the Belizeans themselves anxious to raise their standard of living, and that of ensuring the forests are not destroyed as a consequence.

Programme for Belize set to work with the help of international and local environment groups, experts from a variety of fields and Departments of the Belizean government itself, to devise a plan that could indeed address both issues.

An imaginative programme was developed, based on purchasing 110,000 acres of forest, to which has now been added several other tracts, including 42,000 acres of land donated by Coca-Cola Foods. In total the Programme now owns 252,000 acres. Highly significant is the fact that much of the adjacent lands have recently been cleared of forest for farming.

The Programme's Supporters

The response from individuals, schools and groups has been tremendous, and many major conservation organisations have given their full support. Tate & Lyle plc, which had historic links with Belize through the sugar cane connection, helped UK fund-raising initiatives considerably in the early days. British Airways gave invaluable help through its Assisting Nature Conservation scheme. Were it not for the support of the World Land Trust, and its thousands of donors, there were occasions when the project would have failed.

Programme for Belize is endorsed by:

• Audubon Alliance
• Belize Audubon Society
• Belize Center for Environmental Studies
• Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Center
• Manomet Bird Observatory
• Massachusetts Audubon Society
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Audubon Society
• The Nature Conservancy
• New York Zoological Society
• World Wildlife Fund

More Information on Programme for Belize

To learn more about the Belize project visit the main project page: Programme for Belize.