The Board of Directors of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust awarded a small grant in  the amount of $60,000 to the Community Baboon Sanctuary Women’s Conservation Group (CBSWCG) for their project entitled “Community Development and Conservation.” The Community Baboon Sanctuary is a voluntary grassroots conservation project with a goal of sustaining the habitat of the Black Howler Monkey while promoting economic development in the participating communities. Over 200 private landowners in seven communities of the Belize River Valley (stretching over 20 square miles) have voluntarily pledged to conserve their land for the protection of the Black Howler Monkey habitat. The communities include Big Falls/St. Paul’s Bank, Willow’s Bank, Double Head Cabbage, Bermudian Landing, Isabella Bank, Scotland Half-Moon and Flowers Bank. Today the Black Howler Monkey population has risen to over 2,000.

This investment will support the preparation of the management plan for the 25 acre sanctuary and brings PACT’s investment in this protected area to almost $70,000 for this fiscal year (2011-2012).