Celebrating 16 years
 of investing in conservation and
natural resource management in Belize!

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Happy 16th Birthday PACT!

Today, June 6, 2012, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) celebrates 16 years of investing in conservation and natural resource management in Belize. PACT was established June 6, 1996 with only one grant type, Small Grants. Since then, our Grants Programme has grown to include 12 grant types. PACT has invested over 22 million dollars in over 400 projects. We are currently managing 51 ongoing grants.

Today, PACT attended the launch of the National Training Programme (NTP) for Protected Areas Management where we shared our commitment to capacity building in Belize. Minister Lisel Alamilla (Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development) announced PACT’s birthday to those present and shared PACT’s role as critical in advancing the National Protected Areas System Plan (NPASP). The NPASP is a document that guides the development—especially capacity building—for protected areas in Belize on a national level. PACT is the major co-financier of the NPASP and our investment in this programme will benefit co-managers of protected areas, government agencies in the field and conservation stakeholders. PACT is committed to building institutional capacity within our protected areas system which is seen through our partnership with the University of Belize’s Environmental Research Institute (UB ERI) in the implementation of the NTP, injecting $200,000 in the first instance. This represents our second partnership with UB. To date PACT has invested 2.4 million dollars in capacity building in Belize via 63 scholarships, 13 local workshop/seminar implementation grants, 9 research grants and 1 environmental fellowship, a grant type launched last summer.

PACT is proud to hold the title of Belize’s National Trust for protected areas financing. Just last month, PACT welcomed a visit from Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), which is in the process of setting up an environmental fund. They researched trust funds globally and found PACT to be the best model. Our status could not have been possible without our many supporters. We thank our stakeholders and partners—the NGOs, CBOs, and the Government of Belize for continued collaboration and commitment to protecting our natural heritage.

We invite you to learn about nature in Belize and our many efforts to protect it. Visit us at facebook.com/pactbelize to see videos, photos and projects of protected areas. Over the next 16 days, visit constantly to win cool prizes!