In 1991, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) provided funds for technical & financial assistance for the establishment of a Conservation Division in the Ministry of Natural Resources. Two (2) consultants from Colorado State University developed a “Revenue Generation Strategy” for Protected Areas in Belize. Then in 1992, a “visitors willingness to pay conservation fees” survey was conducted with positive results, and efforts were continued throughout the next four (4) years in developing the said strategy. Consequently, on January 2nd, 1996 the PACT Act passed into law, which states that a conservation fee of BZ $7.50 (USD $3.75) per visitor is to be paid upon departure and a 20% commission from cruise ship passenger should be paid. Therefore the government sought help from the Natural Resource Management & Protection Project (NARMAP) which engaged 3 consultants to draft the operational plan for PACT.
The constitution of the Board of Directors for the newly formed PACT was agreed upon in consultation with its stakeholders. Furthermore, with the assistance from USAID through the NARMAP project, funds for a vehicle, computers, and initial resources totaling $36,000.00 US was obtained. On June 6th, 1996, PACT opened its office on Nanche Street, Belmopan.
The conservation fee of BZ $7.50 (USD $3.75) and the 20% commission from cruise ship passenger fees constitute the primary source of funding for the trust fund. No less than five percent of all revenues are deposited into an endowment fund.