Belizean organizations participated in course on conservation financing
- The course was organized by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust and CATIE
April 4, 2023. The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) of Belize and CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) organized a strategic course on conservation finance; held from March 29-31. The course was attended by 30 participants from various organizations such as the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), The Association of Protected Areas Management Organization (APAMO), Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), among others working in conservation throughout the country.
Jim Barborak, senior advisor at Colorado State University's Center for Protected Areas Management and Training, and Muhammad Ibrahim, director general of CATIE, participated as instructors for the course, with the support of PACT staff and Helen Choco, CATIE's representative in Belize.
The course discussed innovative financing mechanisms for protected areas, including coastal and marine areas.The objective of the course was to give participants the opportunity to discuss strengths, weaknesses and innovative financing opportunities for protected areas.
Ibrahim expressed his appreciation to Nayari Diaz-Perez, PACT executive director, and Ismael Teul, PACT director of conservation investments, for their collaboration and support in developing the course. Also, he added that this may open an opportunity for PACT and CATIE to collaborate on future courses in Belize and create a greater partnership that brings knowledge and resources to the benefit of Belize's National Protected Areas System.
