PROTECTED ARE A S C ONSERV A T I O N T RUST A NNU A L R E P ORT 2011-2012 Annual Report 2011 - 2012 Published by: The Protected Areas Conservation Trust Design and Layout - Protected Areas Conservation Trust, Belize Printed in Belize, Central America PHOTOS Copyright © 2012, The Protected Areas Conservation Trust © 2012, The Protected Areas Conservation Trust, Belize Note: All dollar figures in this report are in Belize Dollars. $2 BZ Dollars is equivalent to $1 US Dollar. PROTECTED ARE A S C ONSERV A T I O N T RUST A NNU A L R E P ORT 2011-2012 S LEE P I N G G I A NT Hummingbird Highway N A TURE ’ S T A TTOO table of C O N T EN ts Message from the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development. ..i Message from the Chair of the Board of Directors. ii Message from the Acting Executive Director. .. iii Board of Directors and Advisory Council. iv PACT Staff.....................................................................v Organizational Chart...........................................................v Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles. .. vi What is PACT?...............................................................vii Highlights...............................................................2 Grants Program me.....................................................2 New Grants...........................................................2 Grants Application, Selection and Approval Process. 3 Large Grants Program. 4 Medium-Sized Grants. 6 Small Grants Program. 8 Environmental Support Grants. 10 Capacity Building Program. ....12 Capacity Development Grants. 13 PACT Foundation. 15 MAR Fund....................................................................16 Environmental Donations. ...17 Financial Report..............................................................18 Audited Financial Report. 21 Internal Control Statement. 37 Protected Areas List.........................................................42 Protected Areas Map. 45 M e s s a g e f r o m t h e M INISTER o f Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) continues to play a critical role in providing much needed financial resources for the management of Belize’s network of protected areas. We invite you to join us in yet another giant leap forward toward the transformation and continued success of PACT. With the multitude of threats facing conservation in Belize, as well as the scarce financial resources within managerial entities to respond to these threats, we must partner with each other, NGOs, CBOs, Ministries and individuals alike, to maximize available resources, minimize duplication of efforts and in- crease efficiencies. All efforts must be coordinated and partners must collaborate at all levels to bring about the optimal approach to the management of protected areas. Since its inception in 1997, PACT has financed more than 400 projects and invested over $20 million dol- lars in conservation and sustainable development. Since then, PACT has also gained international visibility for being a unique and innovative sustainable financing mechanism for conservation. The transparent and accountable systems of collecting revenues, investing, and managing grants are its key competences. Its public-private partnerships in implementing the National Protected Areas Policy and Systems Plan are its hallmark and PACT is now, once again, looking to further strengthen its ability to grow the fund. While these investments were well deserved by the recipients and accomplished a multitude of goals and objectives across the conservation spectrum, the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation demand our focus on specific areas and warrant larger investments to effectively combat these issues. PACT plans on further awarding significant financial resources to combat the effects of climate change on Belize’s natural resources, substantially reduce incursions into our protected areas, and further increase the sustainability of these resources for future generations. I implore all recipients to utilize these funds wisely and where possible use them to leverage other funds so the work can continue. We must take it upon ourselves to impart the knowledge, and teach our populace, especially our youths, to respect, ac- cept and continue the work of conservation in this jewel of ours. PACT commits to increase its leveraging capacity to ensure a continuous increase in funding for pro- tected areas. Be assured that the Government of Belize is cognizant of the vital role of and the indelible efforts of our stakeholders and collaborators in achieving effective and efficient management of Belize’s protected areas. I would like to acknowledge my predecessor and thank the Board of Directors and the Advisory Council, but also take this opportunity to thank all of you, especially those on the ground, for your continuous efforts in preserving our natural heritage. I assure you that we remain committed to sustaining a financial mechanism for protected areas within Belize and will strive even harder to working with all of you in this endeavour. Senator Honorable Lisel Alamilla (Mrs.) Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development i M e s s a g e f r o m t h e C HAIRPERSON o f the Board of Directors On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), I am pleased to share the annual report for the fiscal year 2011-2012 and to highlight the organization’s significant achievements of this year. In September 2011, PACT was successfully accredited by the Adaptation Fund Board as the National Implementing Entity for Belize, the first for Central America, and the second for the Caribbean region. This accreditation is noteworthy as it is indicative of PACT possessing the excellent standards in gover- nance, structure and operations which are required to be so accredited. Furthermore, this recognition has now positioned PACT to better support the country’s climate adaptation programs and more directly contribute to the efforts of its protected areas managers and stakeholders. As a result of its strong partnerships and networks, PACT was also able to leverage its funds to attract additional funding for Belize’s protected areas system. With its continued membership in the Mesoameri- can Reef Fund (MAR Fund), PACT supported the process of securing a total of EUR 5 million in direct financing for marine/coastal protected areas in the region, including one of Belize’s marine protected areas in phase 1 of a project funded by the German Development Bank (KfW). In partnership with the National Protected Areas Secretariat (NPAS) and to complement its own grant of $300,000, PACT was also instrumental in successfully securing an additional grant of $400,000 for the operations of NPAS. In continuing to carry out its primary role of grant making and service to stakeholders, this fiscal year, PACT invested a total of $1,982,270 in new and ongoing grants, within a stakeholder-driven re-structured grants program. Simultaneously, the PACT team continued to strengthen partnerships with the MAR Fund and the PACT Foundation in operational management and co-financing of their respective grant programs. Finally, shortly before the close of this fiscal year, PACT was thrust into another phase of evolution as it was re-aligned under the newly created Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development. As a result, there were some changes in the organization’s governance and administration and I take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of and thank former members who contributed to last year’s achievements. With this realignment also came the task of charting a new strategic direction for the institution in the national pursuit of a more functional and effective protected areas system. The Board of Directors stands committed and invites all our stakeholders and collaborators to be a part of this phase in the advance- ment of PACT. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank all our stakeholders and collaborators and especially the Executive Director and staff and anticipate your continued and dedicated support in the upcoming year. Wendel Parham (Dr.) Chairperson ii Message from the A C TING E XE C UTIVE D IRE C TOR It is with great pleasure that I present this annual report to you and summarize our accomplishments for fiscal year 2011-2012. Our greatest accomplishment and one that the country of Belize should be proud of, and not just the PACT family, is that PACT made leaps and bounds in the International arena during this year when we were accredited as the National Implementing Entity for the Adapta- tion Fund in Belize. Our financial and grant management systems were subjected to heavy scrutiny and it demonstrated that our standards and practices stood up to the test and were acceptable at the highest international level. Our grant investments for this year were $1,982,270 compared to $1,951,227 in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. We continue to work with our conservation partners as we improve our Grants Programme. In June 2011, we launched a revised Grants Manual with several new funding windows. For example, a Financial Aid funding window, the Medium sized Project Grant was re-introduced, and an Extraor- dinary support window was added. We revamped several funding windows including the Scholarship program which was phased out and we introduced an Environmental Fellowship program; and our Support Grants now renamed Environmental Support Grants. All this was done for the benefit of our stakeholders.