Building Environmental Resilience in Belize

According to Minister Orlando Habet, serious investments must be made to create the transformative actions needed to safeguard the planet. He chronicled Belize’s mission to continue building its resilience, breaking down the government’s commitment to Act #ForNature, including the ban of single-use plastics and the recently signed Blue Bond. 

Orlando Habet

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management

“Our commitments include improved forest management regimes, expansion of ocean-based sustainable management practices by increasing protection to thirty percent of our oceans and restoration of more than a hundred and thirty thousand hectares that include twelve thousand hectares of mangrove ecosystems by 2030. Furthermore, steps are being taken to increase the financial sustainability of our protected areas system which covers approximately thirty-five point eight percent of the country. This great conservation achievement has assisted in reducing poverty and increasing social protection. The signing of potentially the world’s largest blue bond seeks to reduce our debt burden and put the country back on a transformational path to green and inclusive recovery. Belize has already established legislation and institutional frameworks to prohibit the importation of single-use plastics and Styrofoam products. Further measures will include the phasing out of all plastics in protected areas.”