Examining the Management of
Belize Audubon Society's Protected Areas,
Belize, Central America
 
 

Community Issues

The Belize Audubon Society is dedicated to the conservation of the natural resources of Belize.  BAS aims to promote sustainable development through community participation in order to ensure that community members have an incentive to conserve nearby protected areas. There are more than 30 communities located in the protected-area buffer zones and BAS is working with the communities to conserve the natural resources and discover viable alternatives to resource exploitation.  While all "buffer zone" communities have the potential to impact the protected areas they border through hunting, poaching and resource extraction, the communities are not equidistant from the protected areas.  Thus, it may be important to focus scarce resources and staff time towards those communities which are closest to the protected areas, such as those in the 5 km buffer zone depicted in the first map below.
Communities Located Within 
a Five-Mile Buffer Zone

 

Communities Located Within 
a Ten-Mile Buffer Zone

 

Communities Located Outside 
a Ten-Mile Buffer Zone

This project will evaluate key issues associated with communities in the buffer zones of the six BAS protected areas, such as comanagement and economic development through ecotourism, and offer recommendations for future management.