About Belize

Belize is located on Central America’s Caribbean coast and boasts the smallest population only 200,000 of any nation in Mesoamerica. This former British colony is also unique in the fact that it is surrounded by Spanish speaking nations. Belize is flanked by the Maya Mountains on one side, the Caribbean Sea on the other and a relatively small population has ensured that it was well protected in the past.

However, the population is growing fast and the country is increasingly facing development pressure. The Conservancy is working with the Belizean government and partners such as TIDE and Programme for Belize to help protect this unique nation. We helped Belize with a debt-for-nature swap in 2001. The funds from this swap will ensure long term conservation in Belize.

The Rio Bravo conservation area in Belize’s Maya Forest was the Conservancy’s first carbon sequestration project. Here 4 million tons of carbon will be sequestered for generations to come. The Conservancy helped Belize, Mexico and Guatemala institute a tri-national eco-regional plan to protect the Maya Forest.

Gladden Spit on Belize’s coast is an important site for conservation along the Mesoamerican Reef. Here, the Conservancy and partners have been able to identify and protect several spawning aggregation sites. These are areas where large groups of snapper and groupers come to breed in a swirling mass on full moon nights. Local fishermen used to fish in these sites in large numbers greatly reducing the populations of these fish. By protecting these sites and educating fishermen we hope to ensure that the seas bounties will last for generations to come.