It is a common perception that conservation management tends to focus only on biodiversity protection without taking into account the needs of the communities which buffer protected areas. However, APAMO recognizes that community involvement is an important component in the effective management of protected areas.  This is especially true for buffer communities that are dependent on protected areas and natural resources for a secured livelihood and for their wellbeing. APAMO member organizations work closely with local communities in their management efforts and many times these efforts go by un-noticed by the broader public.  Therefore APAMO held its first Protected Areas Management Symposium on September 23, 2011 in Belize City under the theme, “Communities and Resource Managers: Bridging the Gap – Engaging Communities in Integrated Resource Management”.

The main goal of the symposium was to assess how the communities, whose livelihoods depend on the sustainability of natural resources, can become better engaged in the management of their natural resources and protected areas. The symposium looked at various research and projects that focus on community involvement in the management of protected areas and natural resources highlighting the successes, challenges, lessons learnt and also providing recommendations.

 Presentations were made by several environmental, community-based NGOs as well as other regulating bodies that are involved in the management of Belize’s natural resources and protected areas.    These included the Belize Audubon Society (BAS), Ya’axche Conservation Trust, Friends of Swallow Caye (FOSC), Southern Environmental Association (SEA), Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI)and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Seleem Chan, TIDE Marine Manager, presented on an initiative being implemented in partnership with the Fisheries Department and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).  The project which seeks to implement “Managed Access” in Belize, he explained, is a licensing system to allow traditional fishermen access to fish within the general use zone of the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, one of two pilot sites for this project.  The project will also establish a monitoring system to gather scientific, economic and social data to inform decision making by fishermen and managers. TIDE is working close with its buffer communities and fishers in the  design and implementation  of this initiative that  is  expected  to  end  the destructive race to fish, provide fishermen an incentive to allow fish to reach reproductive maturity, develop a fair, transparent, collaborative and participatory fisheries management process and establish community based, management fisheries committees to guide this initiative.

On the terrestrial environment Maarten Hofman, Research Officer/Terrestrial Ecologist at Ya’axché Conservation Trust, presented an interesting research on “Land-use change and fragmentation in the Maya Golden Landscape (MGL): the need for spatially explicit community resource and development plans”. Over the past 30 years Ya’axché has studied the land-use change and levels of fragmentation for the MGL. Although the deforestation rate at the MGL scale was low due to the high acreage of protected areas, it was considerably higher on the community lands. Increased deforestation within these areas as  well  as  along  the Southern highway will have damaging impacts on the ecosystems and moreover on the communities dependent on environmental services.

 Mr. Hofman explained that community resource and development plans are important tools to help communities and natural resource managers face the challenge of finding an acceptable balance between development and conservation. Ya’axché is currently preparing some of its buffer communities to assist them with developing their spatially explicit plans.

APAMO believes that people centered approaches to natural resource management provide the mechanism through which societies become empowered to collectively govern their natural resources in a sustainable and responsible manner.  This symposium provided a setting in which information and ideas on community engagement and participation in protected areas management were shared, discussed and lessons learned communicated to interested parties in order to bring about better projects of the same nature and improvement on results as well as to inform the general public on the innovative work being carried out by our local NGOs in partnership with communities and other stakeholders. APAMO’s first symposium was well attended with over 50 representatives from both governmental and non-governmental management agencies and other interested individuals. APAMO plans for this to be an annual event. For more information or to view the other presentations log on to www.apamo.net

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