NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROTECTION PROJECT (MAYA MOUNTAINS)
(Project BZ0852)

n southern Belize, WWF is working with the government and USAID on a
four-year project to boost profits from agriculture, forestry, and
fisheries, simultaneously ensuring the safety of the natural resources.
The project involves developing new strategies for environmental
protection and resource management, the introduction of alternative
agricultural methods, public awareness campaigns, and the establishment
of a system of protected areas based on the judicious use of land.
The target area is the Maya Mountain complex and surrounding agricultural
buffer zones in the Stann Creek, Cayo, and Toledo Districts of southern
Belize. These cover almost a third of the country. Although its rich
forest cover is largely intact, the region is under pressure from
commercial and subsistence agriculture.
Deforestation rates in Belize are still the lowest in Central America
(32km2 per year), but that may soon change. Immigrants from neighbouring
countries looking, quite literally, for greener pastures, have brought
with them inappropriate agricultural practices. These include slash and
burn agriculture and the use of pesticides. Over the past few years, vast
tracts of forest bordering the Maya Mountains have been replaced by
banana and citrus plantations. There are fears that subsistence farmers
may be forced to retreat to steep hillsides unsuited for agriculture.
This has already happened in other parts of Central America.
People involved in this project are working with Belizean farmers in the
Maya Mountain buffer zones to develop new technologies for profitable and
sustainable agricultural systems. WWF is also helping the Belize
government raise its capacity for environmental regulation and protected
area management by providing institutional support.
The project has had an effect on conservation efforts throughout Belize.
Activities currently underway include a national protected areas
management plan, guidelines and regulations for environmental impact
assessment, establishment of a Protected Areas Conservation Trust, and
training in areas such as project formulation and conflict resolution. A
US$500,000 Conservation Development Fund has also been established to
help Belizean NGOs implement field projects.
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