Climate Change 

Changes to the things we care about — water, wildlife, wild places and the people who depend on them — demand that we better understand and address climate change.

Belize is considered at high risk from climate change, and the northeastern communities are the most highly vulnerable in the country. In recent years, the area has been facing more frequent impacts including:

  • Heat waves and droughts
  • More intense rainfall leading to increased flooding
  • Rising sea levels with associated saline intrusion into the ground water

These communities rely heavily on the ecosystem services provided by Belize’s coral reef, coastal waters and the estuarine environment of CBWS.

By working closely with our local community partner, the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD), Wildtracks focuses its efforts on Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS)—the closest marine protected area—and its most vulnerable communities, Sarteneja, Chunox and Copper Bank. 

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What is Wildtracks Doing?

Wildtracks has developed the national framework for integration of climate change and climate change adaptation into management planning for Belize protected areas, as a component of an initiative under The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and facilitates Climate Change Adaptation planning for protected areas to strengthen resilience to the predicted future changes.

It also actively seeks to improve capacity to address climate change at local level. Examples include:

  • Engaging Engineers Without Borders for the Sarteneja Village Council to assess and provide technical input into the actions required to address flooding following extreme storm event
  • Providing technical input to SACD for the establishment of a water quality monitoring and integrated Research and Monitoring programme for Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Facilitation of community-based climate change adaptation planning
  • Mentoring and capacity building of community organizations in Sarteneja, including the SACD and Sarteneja Fishermen Association, for improved capacity to address climate change at community level

Learn more about our sustainable development initiatives.