Fishermen will help manage protected areas
Sixty-seven fishermen, members at the National Fisherman’s Cooperative, will be involved in the co-management of two of the country’s leading marine protected areas. The sites, located at the Lighthouse Reef Atoll, are the Half Moon Caye Natural Monument and the Blue Hole Natural Monument. The news came at ceremonies marking the first disbursement of forty thousand dollars from the Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation Programme, COMPACT. The money will be used to fund a joint project between the Co-op, whose members work in the area, and the Belize Audubon Society, which currently manages the Lighthouse Reef Protected Areas. The project includes the purchasing of equipment, establishment of a monitoring fleet of fishermen, training sessions and educational exchange visits by the fishermen to a bio-reserve in Mexico.
Roberto Pott, Marine Protected Areas Manager, BAS
?Well certainly we see a trend where there are an increasing number of fishermen in the same areas. So there is an increase pressures. But as management for Halfmoon Caye Natural Monument, we were experiencing increased pressures on the Natural Monument which is close to fishing. And also there is great precedent being set by a big National Fisherman?s Cooperative to engage themselves in management and looking at conservation as part of that management strategy. So it?s a combination of things that created this opportunity for us.?
K.Mustafa Toure B Development Advisor, BFCA
?This is the first time that formally fishermen are being involved in co-management of a Marine Protected Area and Lighthouse Atoll are two of the seven World Heritage Sites and we?ve just come back from a trip to Punta Island where the compact advisory committee actually saw how they do things. And as part of this project the fishermen from national would actually go to Mexico and participate with them and see how they do things there. Then we will put together a collaboration co-management and this is the first is formally happening for Fishing Coop and Protected Areas Management.?
The project is expected to cost over one hundred and seventy thousand Belize dollars.
