TIDE to implement “Managed Access” in Port Honduras Marine Reserve

The Port Honduras Marine Reserve (PHMR) lies off the coast of Punta Gorda Town (Southern Belize), at the base of the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor and covers an area of 414 km2.  The reserve is co-managed by the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) and the Belize Fisheries Department.

On October 3, 2011 Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MAR Fund) signed an agreement with TIDE for their project: “Improving Fisheries Management and Biodiversity Conservation in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve.”  PACT, as the representative body for MAR Fund in Belize, will oversee the smooth administration of this project.

TIDE conducted a State of the Park Assessment for the PHMR in 2008. The results showed the decline of two major fisheries species, the queen conch and spiny lobster, despite the existence of no-take zones. The reef fish density has also decreased significantly; in some cases by more than 50 percent from over 100 individuals per 100m2 to less than 40 individuals per 100m2. 

With this $65,000 grant, TIDE will decrease the fishing in PHMR through a better management process—the implementation of “Managed Access.” Currently, fisheries in Belize are managed as open access fisheries.  Around the world, open access fisheries are proven to be vulnerable to overfishing—a threat to the health of fisheries and the livelihoods of fishermen. TIDE is implementing this rights-based management regime for fisheries in PHMR along with a network of partners including the Government of Belize, Environmental Defense Fund, and Wildlife Conservation Society of Belize. PHMR is one of the first two sites to transition from open access fishing to rights-based management in Belize and will be an important test case as Belize implements Managed Access in the entire marine reserve system.

The project will ensure that TIDE has trained personnel and adequate infrastructure and increased visibility of boundaries for effective implementation of Managed Access. The project also seeks to increase the abundance of the endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtles within PHMR.

Managed Access will decrease the current unsustainable fishing pressures currently by allocating traditional fishing areas to a limited number of “traditional fishermen.” The long-term benefits of Managed Access are healthy stocks, a healthy ecosystem and economically viable fisheries.

For more information on MAR Fund visit: www.marfund.org 
For more information on TIDE visit: www.tidebelize.org

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PACT was formally established in January 1996 with the passing of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust Act, No. 15 of 1995, creating the institution as a Statutory Board. 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.

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