PACT to develop business plan for protected areas

In related news, this week the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) is hosting an expert on park management to develop business plans for protected areas in Belize. According to PACT, Scott Edwards from the Centre for Parks Management, a non-governmental organization based in Washington DC, will use this trip as the first step in coming up with a business plan template that can be applied to protected areas across Belize. According to PACT’s Jose Perez, the business plan will help protected area administrators develop sustainable financing strategies, improved management skills and most importantly, identify the true operational costs of each of the areas. Two protected areas will be used in the pilot project, set to begin in November and consultations with environmental and conservation partners will continue for three months. Participating in this venture are the Fisheries and Forest departments, Programme for Belize, Belize Audubon Society, Friends of Nature, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, and the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management.