NEGOTIATING INFLUENCE: THE EXPERIENCE OE THREE LOCAL NCOS IN MARINE RESERVE CO­ MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN BELIZE by Jocelyn Rae Finch B. A. George Washington University 2002 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science The University of Montana May 2006 Approved by: Chairperson: Dean, Graduate School: Date: Finch, Jocelyn Rae M.S. May 2006 Forestry NEGOTIATING INFLUENCE: THE EXPERIENCE OE THREE LOCAL NCOS IN MARINE RESERVE CO-MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN BELIZE Chairperson: Dr. Steve Siebert Abstract Co- management has become an important tool in the management of Belize’s natural resources, including the world’s second largest barrier reef. There are many systems for co management.- Delegated co management,- where local NGOs serve as the decision making authority and community representative, is the most popular form for marine reserves in Belize. The use of co ­ management offers a way to engage a diverse range of stakeholders in the decision making process. However, the success of marine reserve co management- is affected by a range of local, national and intemational factors. Through personal observations as a Peace Corps Volunteer working in southem Belize, interviews with key individuals involved in marine co management- and review of related literature, I explore how political and economic issues at the local, national and intemational level have influenced marine reserve co -management. Three Belizean non - govemmental organizations have signed co management- agreements with the Department of Fisheries for the management of marine reserves in southem Belize. My research indicates that there are a number of factors which influence co- management in this situation. These include: the ability of local NGOs to effectively engage and represent local communities, the influence of partisan national politics, unaccountable power by govemment ministers, a growing national financial crisis, and increasing investment by intemational conservation and tourism development interests; all of which affect co-management of marine reserves. The success that local non - govemmental organizations have had implementing co management- is linked to their ability to balance these diverse pressures. 11 Preface When I first learned that I was on my way to Belize as a Peace Corps Volunteer I pictured myself working with a small rural community on a forestry project. My only expectation about living so close to the world’s second largest barrier reef was that I might find time away from my village to get SCUBA certified. As it tums out, I was spending my free time visiting those villages. One of my main jobs as a volunteer for the Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and Empowerment (TASTE), a small Belizean NGO co managing- the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve (SCMR), turned out to be surveying coral reefs. While working for TASTE, I began to learn more about the coral reef as well as the complexities and realities of marine conservation in Belize today. TASTE struggled to find footing, and funding, in a region crowded with community conservation organizations. I often marveled at both the potential and constraints of trying to involve communities in the bureaucracy of Belizean protected areas management. The more that I worked with TASTE and in southem Belize, the more confused I became. It seemed like marine reserve co management- was working. I was watching as NGOs implemented new projects, provided jobs for local people and seemed to improve management at their marine reserves. But it was fmstrating, especially after a day trying to get the Fisheries Department to sign off on the management plan that we had worked so hard on. I had a hard time understanding what co management- was meant to do and then understanding why it wasn’t working. To me co management- meant sharing, collaborating and leaming together. It meant more than just money. It meant give and take, and offered the possibility to include diverse stakeholders and ensure conservation as well as community benefits. These issues haunted me and the fellow volunteers I joined often for beers at the local bar. After a day struggling to secure funds and incorporate often demanding community members into the process of resource protection in the hopes of one day improving their lives, we iii often questioned if our actions were having any real effect. We watched local people complain about the govemment and stmggle to pay their bills. Our work was fmstrating and we quickly leamed life (and co management)- in Belize is a delicate balancing act. This paper is my attempt to explore and evaluate that balance in hopes of finding a way for co management- to contribute something valuable to marine reserve management. In an unexpected and wonderful way the islands and people working to protect that one piece of the Belizean reef became my home and my family. My Peace Corps assignment was not at all what I imagined, it was better. I hope that this work can make co management- better too. IV Table of Contents Abstract_________________________________________________________________________ii Preface_________________________________________________________________________ iii Table of Contents _________________________________________________________________ v List of Acronyms ________________________________________________________________ vii List of Figures and Tables _________________________________________________________ vii Introduction _____________________________________________________________________ 1 Exploring Marine Co management- and National Forces in Southem Belize _______________ 4 History, Politics and Development ___________________________________________________ 6 Geography _____________________________________________________________________6 History ________________________________________________________________________ 8 Political Administration __________________________________________________________ 9 Economy and Development _____________________________________________________ 13 Current Political and Economic Outlook ___________________________________________ 15 Site Description Southem Belize ___________________________________________________ 18 Objectives and Methodology _______________________________________________________ 22 The Practice of MPA Co- management in Southem Belize _______________________________ 26 Organizations in Southem Belize _________________________________________________31 Friends of Nature ____________________________________________________________ 31 Toledo Institute for Development and Environment ________________________________ 33 Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and Empowerment _____________________ 34 Strengths and Weaknesses of Co management- in Practice in Southem Belize _____________ 36 Community Involvement and Communication ____________________________________ 36 Education, Enforcement and Altemative Eivelihoods ______________________________40 Research and Monitoring _____________________________________________________ 44 Organizational Capacity ______________________________________________________ 45 Eocal Power and Politics ______________________________________________________ 47 MPA Management in the National Context ___________________________________________ 51 Power and Control _____________________________________________________________ 52 The History of MPA Power and Control ________________________________________ 52 Effects on Southem Co management- ___________________________________________ 55 Financial Resources ____________________________________________________________ 59 Fisheries Department Finances_________________________________________________60 Project Funding _____________________________________________________________ 63 Intemational Donor Agencies __________________________________________________ 66 National Politics ______________________________________________________________ 69 Agency Cooperation _________________________________________________________ 70 Tourism Planning and Policy Problems _________________________________________ 74 Ministerial Power 78 The Influence of Power and Control, Financial Resources and National Politics on Marine Reserve Co- management ________________________________________________________ 82 The Carnival Cruise D eal_____________________________________________________ 83 Tourism Development ________________________________________________________ 85 Financial Sustainability and the CZMAI ________________________________________ 90 Recommendations on Working Together to Improve Co management- ____________________ 94 Empower the Local Communities _________________________________________________95 Secure Financial Sustainability ___________________________________________________ 98 Clarify Roles and Responsibilities ______________________________________________ 101 Plan and Enforce Policies _____________________________________________________ 103 References ____________________________________________________________________ 107 Appendix A: Current Ministers ___________________________________________________ 112 Appendix B: Interview Questions/Topics ___________________________________________ 113 VI List of Acronyms BAS- Belize Audubon Society BTB- Belize Tourism Board BTIA- Belize Tourism Industry Association CBO- Community Based Organization CZMAI- Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute TON- Friends of Nature GET- Global Environment Facility GOB- Govemment of Belize GSMR- Gladden Spit