Examining the Belize Audubon Society’s Management of Protected Areas

A Master's Project completed for the School of Natural Resources & Environment,
University of Michigan
Christopher Botnick, Jesse Buff, Laura Congdon, Jeff Manternach,
Laura Montes De Oca, and Jennifer Rennicks
Advised by Professor Steven Brechin
April 2000

Abstract

Belize is a small Central American country with a largely intact natural resource base. It hosts a tremendous array of biological diversity and due to its historically low population density an political stability, has not suffered the ecological damage that other Central American countries have. With much assistance in the past two decades from the international community, conservation initiatives in Belize have been steadily growing. Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a major role in conservation, as the government often lacks the resources and population growth and economic development are on the rise. The Belize Audubon Society is the oldest and largest conservation NGO in Belize, and unique in that it manages eight public protected areas for the government [at the time the research was conducted, they were only the six areas featured on the map; two additional areas, Victoria Peak Natural Monument and Blue Hole Natural Monument were added as the research project neared completion].

A team of six graduate students from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan examined BAS' management of protected areas, looking at six critical areas: national policy, international law and policy, organizational analysis, environmental education, ecotourism and communities. The goals of this project area to develop recommendations and guidelines that BAS can use to develop its own integrated and comprehensive protected-areas policy. WHile the focus of the project was protected areas management, the recommendations have broader implications for the organization as a whole.

Client

The Belize Audubon Society, Belize, Central America

The project is available in PDF Format . Click here to download the entire analysis in a complete document (note that this is a large file).

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