6 environmental NGOs get half a million dollars in grants for Christmas

Six environmental Non Government Organizations will be benefiting from grants provided by the Oak Foundation and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT).  The grant of more than half a million dollars will be spent on projects at national parks, the barrier reef, the Chiquibul Forest as well as the Bladen Reserve. Disbursement began today at the PACT offices in Belmopan. News Five Delahnie Bain reports.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

The environmental sector received a gift of almost six hundred thousand dollars in grants through a partnership between the OAK Foundation and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust.

Imani Fairweather-Morrison, Programme Officer, OAK Foundation

imani fairweather-morrison

“We sought a partnership agreement which would enable PACT to re-grant and to provide resources to organizations that we don’t necessarily reach. That was two years ago, three years ago. It took us a year to negotiate the agreement. But after two years of operations I think it’s fair to say that the partnership has really been mutually beneficial and hopefully it has been extremely beneficial to grantees like you on the ground.”

The six recipients gave an overview of the projects that won the bids for the grants.

cheryl tzul

Cheryl Tzul, Belize Development Foundation

“We want to build the infrastructure that we have at the national park and in building the infrastructure, we would like to upgrade our access road to an all weather road and secondly we would like to demarcate the boundary line and we want to upgrade some palapas that are in the park area and we want to contract observation towers.”

Ellen McGray, Forest and Marine Reserves Assn. of Caye Caulker

ellen mcgray

“Our project is more or less in two parts. At the beginning we intend to invest in a boat and machinery and hire a ranger to assist fisheries.  The Caye Caulker Marine Reserve is going to be increased in size and expanded to cover an area that has lovely corals and some other great attributes, including seasonal presence of manatees.”

araceli garcia

Araceli Garcia, Friends of Conservation and Development

“Our main objective of this project is to put in place an active research in inventory and monitoring system at FCD, also to reduce illegal activities happening in the Chiquibul forest.”

Lionel Heredia, Friends of Swallow Caye

lionel heredia

“Manatees they migrate in different areas and there are other areas you can go in the water with them and our financials start to go, we don’t get no more income. Then the hurricane come, destroy our office and there we go, one of the boat get broke.”

bartolo teul

Bartolo Teul, Ya’axche Conservation Trust

“Specific objectives are illegal incursions into and hunting in Bladen Nature Reserve are reduced. The second one is multi agency landscape level patrol system established and the third, biodiversity database enhanced.”

Shalini Cawich, Southern Environmental Association

shalini cawich

“SEA continuously works towards the improving stewardship and the environmental integrity of key marine areas in southern Belize through effective, collaborative protected area management, community involvement and strategic partnerships for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

Today the organizations received the initial disbursements at an award ceremony in Belmopan. The grants total five hundred and ninety-nine thousand dollars. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

The funds were disbursed in this manner: Forest and Marine Reserves Assn. of Caye Caulker, Friends of Conservation and Development and Friends of Swallow Caye were each awarded a hundred thousand dollars. Southern Environmental Association is receiving just under a hundred thousand while Ya’axche Conservation Trust will get a total of ninety-six thousand ten dollars. The Belize Development Foundation won ninety-one thousand three hundred dollars.