In 1989 World Land Trust (WLT) was established to assist Belizean partner Programme for Belize (PfB) in the purchase and protection of 110,000 acres (44,515 hectares) of critically threatened tropical forest.
The reserve that was established the - Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area (RBCMA) - is a key site for forest conservation in Belize. Now covering 254,000 acres (102,790 hectares), the RBCMA connects to the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, and the Calakmul Biosphere reserve in Mexico, creating the largest forested area in the region.
Protecting 254,000 acres is a major responsibility for our partner and there are still measures to be taken to increase the level of protection for this vital forest habitat.
Although the RBCMA has been largely successful in eradicating hunting and timber extraction, other areas outside the protected area have been over hunted and many species appear to have been lost in these places. Sections of RBCMA are at risk of logging and other illegal activity.
To address these concerns, PfB has carried out a visibility study of where the forest corridors should be maintained, and has been lobbying and advocating for the government to have a recognized forest corridor that allows for the protection of wildlife, especially for species like Jaguar that require large territories to roam.
“The opportunities are there, we need to continue working hard to make sure that we control and abate the threats closing in on us,” said Edilberto Romero, Executive Director of Programme for Belize
More information
You can help to protect RBCMA and support conservation in Belize by supporting WLT’s Keepers of the Wild programme.
On World Ranger Day in 2015 WLT launched Keepers of the Wild 2020, to raise £750,000 to guarantee the Keepers of the Wild programme between 2016 and 2020.