“Next we have the Community Baboon Sanctuary Women’s Conservation Group. The C.B.W.S.G.C., as we call them, co-manages the Community Baboon Sanctuary in Bermudian Landing since 1998. The group comprises members from the seven communities in the Belize River Valley namely, St. Paul’s Bank, Willows Bank, Isabella Bank, Scotland Half Moon, Flowers Bank, Double Head Cabbage and Bermudian Landing. They will be receiving sixty thousand dollars to implement their project entitled: “Poverty Reduction Through Demonstration of Organic Foods for Environmentally Sound Community.”

“Thirdly we have the Belize Association of Private Protected Areas also known as BAPA. BAPA is a registered umbrella organisation comprising of private protected areas. BAPA is a member of the newly activated National Protected Areas Commission. They will be receiving fifty-nine thousand, three hundred and twenty-five dollars for their project titled: “Institutional Strengthening of BAPA Through Capacity Building and Public Awareness.” Their objective include conduction a training programme with for BAPA’s members countrywide as a capacity building process in protected areas management, carry out a national public awareness programme on BAPA and develop a five year financial sustainability strategy and marketing plan.”

“Fourth we have the Indigenous Peoples Conservation Alliance, IPCA. IPCA is also a seven member umbrella organisation working in the Sarstoon Temash National Park, Gragal wildlife Sanctuary, Chiquibul National Park and Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary. IPCA is also a member of the National Protected Areas Commission seeking to strengthen their institutional capacity. They will be receiving fifty-seven thousand, four hundred and three dollars to carry out their project entitled: “Strengthening the Indigenous Peoples Conservation Alliance in Belize.”

“Friends of Nature, an organisation that is the co-manager of the Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Gladden Split and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve is also being awarded a grant of twenty-two thousand dollars for the purchase of a boat engine to enable them to carry out their management activities within the Laughing Bird Caye National Park.”

“Grants are awarded to eligible Belizean students or organisations to carry out pure and applied research. This year’s cycle produced two projects. The first one awarded to Mr. Faustino Chi. He is a Belizean student undertaking doctoral studies at the University Of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He will receive a grant valued at nineteen thousand, nine hundred forty dollars to complete his PhD research entitled: “Long Term Patterns of Recover in the Mangrove Forest and Island Changes from Hurricanes at Turneffe Atoll, Belize.” His objectives are to assess the susceptibility of fringing reefs to hurricane damage erosion as compared to basin or dwarf mangrove communities.”