14th December 2018 —– (Belmopan, BZE) Today the Belize Nature Conservation Foundation (BNCF) held an Award Ceremony at the Guanacaste National Park in Belmopan to announce three new conservation projects funded under its 2018 Grants Cycle. Representatives from the US embassy, Belize Forest Department, The Protected Areas Conservation Trust, members of the BNCF Board of Directors and the three awardees were on hand to commemorate the event. At a total investment of $113,997.88, this year marks one of the largest BNCF investment in the National Protected Areas System over recent years.
This year’s awardees included Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), Ya’axché Conservation Trust (Ya’axché) and the Rio Blanco Maya Association (RBMA). For FCD, their project entitled “Monitoring Terrestrial Fauna Communities in the Chiquibul Forest”, valued at a total of $38,000, will support the monitoring of game species in the Chiqibul Forest and is expected to create valuable baseline information on species abundance. For Ya’axché, whose project is entitled “Native Bee Inventory and Research in the Maya Golden Landscape” ($37,997.88), will result in the classification of native bee species in Southern Belize and will determine the role bees play in the provision of valuable ecosystem services. Lastly, the RBMA will implement a project entitled “Maintaining and Protecting Rio Blanco National Park” at a total value of $38,000 to support improved protection of the Rio Blanco National Park.
The Belize Nature Conservation Foundation takes this opportunity to congratulate all three grantees and wish them well on the successful implementation of their respective projects through 2019. The Foundation also takes the opportunity to than the Belize Forest Department, The US Embassy, The Nature Conservancy, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust and other members of the Debt for Nature Swap Oversight Committee for their continued support to the BNCF.
