Landmark Deal Will Protect Rainforests In Belize
by Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON,
DC, August 3, 2001 (ENS) - The U.S. government, with a significant assist
from The Nature Conservancy, has signed a landmark debt for nature swap
to reduce by about one-half the debt which Belize owes to the United
States. In exchange, the government of Belize has agreed to protect
23,000 acres of vulnerable forest land in Belize's Maya Mountain Marine
Corridor, an area that includes 16 miles of pristine Caribbean coastline.
Lying
south of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and east of Guatemala, Belize's
Maya Mountain Marine Corridor hosts one of the world's richest assemblages
of biodiversity. It is home to more than 220 tree species and 350 species
of birds. Wildlife that roams the landscape includes the jaguar, ocelot,
marguay, Baird's tapir, Morelet's crocodile, scarlet macaw and the endangered
West Indian manatee.
Treasury
Department under secretary for international affairs John Taylor and
Belize's Ambassador to the U.S. Lisa Shoman signed the debt for nature
agreement on Thursday. Under the agreement, the U.S. government will
provide about $5.5 million authorized under the Tropical Forest Conservation
Act (TFCA) for forest conservation in Belize.
This
money will be used in part by the Belizean conservation group Toledo
Institute of Development and Environment to purchase 8,000 acres of
vulnerable forest lands, and to manage about 11,000 acres of forestlands
now under control by the Belize government as the Golden Stream Corridor
Preserve.
Under
a related agreement, The Nature Conservancy will provide $800,000 to
the U.S. government to help finance the debt for nature swap. The Nature
Conservancy's total contribution to the debt for nature swap is $1.3
million, with $500,000 having been contributed in recent months to help
conserve 4,200 acres of the 23,000 acres being protected.
"This
is a tremendous accomplishment for the conservation of one of the world's
most valuable tropical rainforest ecosystems," said Steve McCormick,
president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. "I'm very proud that
the Conservancy could help Belize -a country that works very hard to
protect its natural resources - to reduce about one half of its outstanding
debt to the U.S. in exchange for its commitment to invest in additional
forest conservation."
"The
forests lands being protected are vulnerable to aggressive logging and
conversion to citrus farming or shrimp farming in artificial ponds,"
noted McCormick.
The
Nature Conservancy-U.S. government agreement marks the first time that
a private organization has become a substantial financial partner with
the federal government in a debt for nature swap under the TFCA. The
TFCA allows the U.S. government to restructure certain debt owed to
it by developing countries with significant tropical forests, in return
for a commitment by those countries to undertake meaningful forest conservation
measures with the assistance of local conservation organizations.
"This
agreement further demonstrates the important role that the Tropical
Forest Conservation Act can play in protecting valuable natural resources,"
said Representative Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who cosponsored
the TFCA. "I applaud the efforts made by the Bush Administration
and by The Nature Conservancy in helping to make this important agreement
a reality."
The
combined contributions of the U.S. government and The Nature Conservancy
will enable the outright forgiveness of about $1.4 million of Belize's
debt to the United States. In return, the government of Belize will
issue $7.2 million in local currency obligations payable to the Toledo
Institute of Development and Environment (TIDE) and the Belizean conservation
groups Programme for Belize (PfB), Belize Audubon Society (BAS), as
well as a new foundation being developed by the Protected Areas Conservation
Trust (PACT).
These
organizations will establish endowment funds to manage the protected
lands.
"We
are grateful for the trust and support that the people of the United
States and our friends with The Nature Conservancy have given to TIDE
and the other conservation organizations in Belize," said Wil Maheia,
TIDE's executive director. "We are quite proud that Belize is considered
by many as 'Mother Nature's best kept secret.' This agreement will help
ensure that southern Belize's renowned rainforest will continue to host
migratory birds and visitors for generations to come."
The
Maya Mountain Marine Corridor (MMMC) contains exemplary tropical rainforests,
mangrove forests, coral reefs, and more than 200 off shore cayes. Made
up of a constellation of protected areas and government reserves, MMMC
boasts upland pine savannas, seven intact watersheds that flow into
coastal wetlands and marine waters to an offshore barrier reef, second
only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
The
waters along the coast of the MMMC lie on a wide continental shelf.
With offshore winds and little upwelling, the area's fisheries cannot
be supported by marine nutrients.
Instead,
nutrients from the region's intact rainforests and grasslands flow down
the rivers to the coast where they drive primary productivity through
extensive mangrove forests and seagrass beds. These, in turn, support
fisheries by providing both organic matter and habitat.
The
partnership between The Nature Conservancy, and the governments of Belize
and the United States, will help protect the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor
from development (Photo courtesy The Nature Conservancy)
The
agreement continues The Nature Conservancy's record of helping non-governmental
organizations and the Belize government to promote environmental protection
and responsible ecotourism in Belize.
The
$1.3 million Nature Conservancy contribution comes from money raised
by the Conservancy's Ohio and Maryland/D.C. Chapters, whose members
have for several years supported efforts to conserve vital wintering
habitat in Belize for neotropical migratory birds. Many of these birds,
including colorful warblers, thrushes and orioles, fly north to nest
in U.S. states each summer.
Additional
funding was raised from supporters of the Conservancy's innovative Adopt-An-Acre
program, which enables interested individuals to directly support tropical
forest conservation projects.
"Our
involvement in this historic agreement with Belize shows how constructive
partnerships between governments and private organizations can be leveraged
at very large scales to accomplish impressive conservation results on
the ground," said McCormick. "These agreements will help set
the stage for additional use of the TFCA and of resources provided by
The Nature Conservancy to conserve vital tropical forests around the
world."
http://www.Nature.org