National Protected Areas System Plan 2015.

The Belize National Protected Area System Plan (NPASP 2015) has been updated based on consultancy reports commissioned by the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development. The general objective of this policy document is to provide a set of guiding principles for the declaration, modification and re-designation where necessary; management and administration; socio-economic assessment and analysis; ecological assessment and analysis, and monitoring and evaluation of marine and terrestrial protected areas in Belize. Additionally the policy document seeks to promote conservation of the rich biodiversity of Belize in perpetuity for present and future generations to use the nation’s biological resources in a sustainable manner that ensures that the resource base is not compromised, and to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of the nation’s biologically diverse resources among all Belizeans. The main agencies responsible for the implementation of this policy document are the Ministries/Departments responsible for terrestrial and marine protected areas, archaeological sites and reserves, and tourism as defined by the Laws of Belize.
The NPASP 2015 should identify the linkages between Protected Areas, water, food security, climate change resilience and poverty reduction. It reflects the Constitution of Belize and is founded on the need to ensure that biodiversity conservation becomes an important and integral part of national social and economic development. The guiding principle is to ensure that the potential contribution of the protected areas system to national development and poverty alleviation is maximized. The Government of Belize shall: 1. Assure safe, healthy, productive, aesthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings by preserving important historic, cultural, aesthetic and natural aspects of Belize’s natural heritage; 2. Promote the widest range of beneficial uses of biodiversity without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences in order to provide for sustainable economic development; 3. Achieve a balance between population and biodiversity resource use which will permit a higher standard of living and the conservation of natural resources for future generations; 4. Enhance the quality of renewable resources and strive for the optimum use of non-renewable resources.
1. Protected areas shall be established based on, inter alia, ecosystem functions, environmental services, representativeness, critical habitats, natural genetic resources, and scenic values. 2. Belize’s biological and cultural resources are national patrimony that shall be conserved for generations of Belizeans to come. 3. Belize’s biological resources shall be conserved in collaboration with regional and global initiatives. 4. Trans-boundary protected areas shall be recognized as important for addressing confidence-building measures, as well as regional, social, economic and environmental issues. 5. Biological corridors shall be established and recognised as part of the system provided they contribute to the effectiveness and interconnectivity among the different protected areas. 6. Private protected areas shall be officially recognised provided the following: that the areas are essential for a comprehensive national protected areas system; or essential for maintaining primary biological corridors