PACT marks ten years of conservation

In an era when money for conservation is typically hard to come by, there is one organisation in Belize that seems immune to liquidity problems. Today that unique institution celebrated a milestone.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Ten years after its creation, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust today celebrated its anniversary under the theme, ?Contributing to the development of Belize through conservation?.

Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director, PACT
?It?s not only that we are protecting the birds and the trees and the protected areas, it?s about how do we contribute to the quality of life of Belizeans now and future generations, but also how we are contributing to how they make their money.?

For the past decade PACT has donated millions of dollars in grants to more than sixty organizations across Belize. That money comes from a twenty percent cut of the cruise tourism head tax and a seven dollar and fifty cent fee charged to each visitor leaving the country. And on its birthday, the trust was spreading the wealth.

Ten conservation groups were awarded base units and handheld radios to improve communication between PACT and the managers of protected areas.

To assist S.J.C. Junior College?s newly established degree in Natural Resources Management, PACT cut a check for fifty thousand dollars to be used to purchase equipment.

And this afternoon, the NGO held formal ceremonies at mile two and half on the Northern Highway to officially adopt the roundabout.

The donation includes a twelve year old Mahogany tree as the centre of attention.

Executive Director Valdemar Andrade says while the organization has accomplished much in the last decade, a comprehensive management plan for Belize?s protected areas is its crowning achievement.

Valdemar Andrade
?We came from a net worth of zero to a net worth of six million dollars. We are basically contributing to the economy and the development of Belize to the tune of four and a half million dollars a year. And the main thing that we have accomplished in all that ten years came right at the end, with the National Protected Areas System Plan. Some of the main issues are that we need to build capacity; we need to make sure Belizeans are ready to take on the kind of work that is necessary. Because again, it?s not about only the tourism and guiding people through but also how do we provide clean air, clean water, necessary education for our kids and to be able to have them understand how these areas are linked to their lives.?

PACT says it will embark on a marketing drive for the system plan in the districts later this year. But throughout the country, hot button issues such as oil exploration and development on the Placencia peninsula have heated up the debate on the proper balance between conservation and development.

Valdemar Andrade
?We have to be very careful with our approaches of all of this because just like how Belize has thirty-six percent of its territory protected. We also have to also look that we?ve worked closely with development because many of the times to implement the protection programs, it will come from the development agencies so we have to look at the fact that with technology growing, there are ways of doing things much cleaner but it?s more expensive. So I think we have basis for negotiation, we have laws in place that I think are very strong that we can push people to apply but at this point in time, The board has not taken a position on any one of these.?

Today PACT also launched its “planting the future” drive which will involve the donation of trees to schools throughout the country.