Seedlings Support Community Programs

And those areas selected for reforestation as part of the One Thousand Trees for Cayo in 2022 are part of what attract people to Belize. But they also support local communities and businesses, many of which depend on tourism. Petrof and Sanchez say this is why they began with their appeal to the tourism sector.

Rhondine Petrof, Founder Toucan Educational Programs

Rhondine Petrof

“People who come to Belize come for the environment that we have to offer. It wasn’t only for the fact that the carbon foot print caused by students travelling to Belize, but also, how do we maintain the forest and everything that people come here to enjoy? Because the healthier our forest is, that also leads to how healthy our rivers are, the quality of our soil, our wildlife. And all of these are things both students and the tourism sector can benefit from.”

Esther Sanchez

Esther Sanchez, Program Director, Friends of Conservation and Development

“It is a collective responsibility, and we have already people who at the community level here are committed to do their part, and with the help of these different sectors and partners I think that we are going to go a long way. We do invite them to cause, we are just the facilitators here. But really it is about getting the local communities involved, these groups that are already out there, doing their little part, to continue their work, so I encourage everybody to do your part and also support this initiative.”

If you are a member of the tourism industry, or an individual or group from another sector who would like to support this reforestation program, you can contact Toucan Educational Programs at info@studyinbelize.com  or call 501-671-4421.