The Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future is supporting Wildtracks through investment in the project goal ‘Contributing to securing the long-term viability of manatees in Belize’.
The coastal waters of Belize are home to the Antillean manatee – one of the most charismatic large marine mammals in the world. Belize’s manatee is Endangered, and the most recent global assessment suggests that at the current level of decline, it may become critically endangered in another two generations. Belize is the stronghold in the region for this species, but there has been an alarming increase in the number of manatee strandings, animals that are either dead, injured or orphaned, from 2011 onwards. With a population estimated at around 700 individuals, and over 376 verified manatee deaths reported between 2010 and 2019 – we need to be concerned. Over 40 manatees died or were orphaned in 2018 alone, with the primary cause of death identified as impacts from boat traffic.
Wildtracks is a Belize non-profit organization that has been working with its partners to implement actions to conserve manatees in Belize for more than twenty five years. The organization takes a holistic approach, working with partners across Belize to strengthen ecosystem and species protection, build management effectiveness in protected areas, and improve public awareness and engagement. The organization also manages Belize’s manatee rehabilitation centre, which ensures that injured manatees and orphaned calves have the care required to recover, and the rehabilitation to develop the skills they need to return successfully to the wild. All these strategies are needed to manage a species effectively.
The Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future is investing in the implementation of actions to achieve three objectives through this project.
Objective 1. Strengthen capacity for management of manatees in key protected areas
Objective 2: Build knowledge and capacity of wildlife management authorities in manatee rehabilitation
Objective 3: Ensure rescued manatees continue to have the opportunity to contribute to the wild population
Zoe Walker receives the award from Chief Executive Officer Kennedy Carrillo (Ministry of Blue Economy, Belize
The Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future (BFSF) is a Belizean, non-profit organization, established in 2022 to provide funding and other forms of support for conservation and climate change adaptation activities in the marine environment. The fund supports projects aligned with national commitments under Belize’s Blue Bond debt relief agreement , including Biodiversity Protection…
‘effective protection for marine biodiversity focused on strategies and interventions that ensure full protection and prevents depletion or loss of biodiversity. Such protection includes the marine protected areas, especially no-take zones, and the effective management of these. It also includes protection for species of conservation concern and ecosystems crucial for maintaining the health of ocean ecosystems’.