belize audubon society 2013 annual report 1

Belize Audubon Society 2013 Annual Report 1

Belize Audubon Society 2013 Annual Report Belize Audubon Society 2013 Annual Report2 3

Table of Contents

Cover Page

CBWS Park Director, Mr. Nicascio Coc

Cover Photo by: Dirk Francisco

Editors: Mr. Earl Green Mrs. Amanda Acosta

Contributing Authors: Ms. Dominique Lizama Ms. Dareece Chuc Mr. Shane Young Mr. Lucito Ayuso Ms. Nikisha Ack

Design: Dirk Francisco

Potographs: All photos by Dirk Francisco

StaffExecutive Director Amanda Acosta

Finance DirectorMarnie Santana

Human Resources and Operations Director

Lucinda Castillo

Executive Secretary Carol Williams

Finance AssistantNikisha Ack

Program Support CoordinatorDelia Noble

Advocacy Programme Manager

Arreini Palacio-Morgan

Environmental Education Programme ManagerDareece Chuc

Conservation Director (CBWS/CTWS) Dominique Lizama

Protected Areas Manager (CBWS/CTWS) Rebecca Cawich

Protected Areas Manager (Cayo Parks)

Arvin Coc

Protected Areas Manager (Marine)

Shane Young

Marine BiologistEli Romero

Community Liaison Manager

Lucito Ayuso

Publicity Coordinator Dirk Francisco

Membership CoordinatorChristine Fonseca

Office AssistantDevin Cacho

HousekeepingDonna Bull

MissionThe Belize Audubon Society is a non-governmental, membership-based organization dedicated to the sus-tainable management of our natural resources through leadership and strategic partnerships with stakehold-ers in order to achieve create and maintain a balance between the needs of both people and the environment.

Vision The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) will be a strategic leader and partner in building a nation in which people respect, live in har-mony with and benefit from the environment.

Member, IUCNWorld Conservation Union

Accredited status with the UN Convention to Combat

Desertification


Message fron the President


Message fron the Executive Director

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. ~Henri Bergson

Nothing about working at Belize Audubon Society (BAS) can ever be considered boring or dull. A recent visitor to the office told me “the only constant here (BAS/Belize) is change.” Change for many is perceived as scary but I beg to differ. Without change we do not now our limits to adapt, nor do we know how well we can adjust to all that is coming our way. At BAS we tried to embrace change in 2013.

Some of the changes we saw…

• Initial steps made to harmonize the legislation which affects protected areas

• Rationalization of all national protected areas

• Finalizing and signing of new co-management agreement

• Proposed changes in order to “Operationalize the National Protected Areas System Plan and Policy”

Some of the changes we experienced...

• New staff hires

• Revised internal procedures—revised Policy and Operations Manual (POM) and new insurance provider

• Startup of Conservation Program with Conservation Director

• Signing of new co-management agreement (BAS signed December 2013)

• We made hard decisions—after much consideration, deliberation and internal discussions at the Board and staff level; we have decided to not sign co-management for Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. It has now reverted back to management under Forest Department

And yet we hold fast to the things that we know are true…

• Our environmental ethic

• Our belief in protected areas

• Our willingness to collaborate with all likeminded entities

• Our desire to be as effective and efficient as possible with our resources, our time and that of which we have been tasked

We see the need to adjust, survival gives us no alternative. As we foresee more changes in 2014 we prepare, plan and anticipate the best! As we evolve, we attempt to do so making BAS the best it can be in these changing times.


Conservation ProgramIn an effort to expand the conservation work of BAS to align with the requirements of the Ministry of For-est, Fisheries and Sustainable Development’s 2013 co-management agreement, and to be more effective in management of the protected areas, the Conservation Programme was restructured and formalized in 2013.

The Conservation Programme at Belize Audubon Society (BAS) remains as the core pillar that guides the work of Belize Audubon Society. The Programme has been dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of the protected areas under our management for the present and future generations. In addition, the organisation has also recognised the important role biodiversity research and monitoring plays in on-site management decision making, influencing policy, informing buffer communities and understanding the value of the natural resources within the protected areas. The Programme is comprised of the Conservation Programme Director; three (3) protected areas managers responsible for the direct management of seven (7) terrestrial and two (2) marine sites; and thirty-seven (37) field staff.

This motivated team continued focusing on increasing and strengthening patrols in an effort to address increased illegal encroachments; infrastructural upgrades; fostering networks with various entities to improve and support the scientific aspects of our work in conservation and providing support to other management programmes such as environmental education, community outreach, and advocacy.

Conservation Programme Director

Dominique Lizama

Protected Areas Managers and Field Staff

Protected Areas Manager-Rebecca Cawich (effective July 2013)

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS)

Victoria Peak Natural Monument (VPNM)

Site Manager: Nicacio Coc


Wardens: Brijilio Bolon, Federico Tush, Mario Bolon, Bonifacio Cal, Fredrito Villanueva, Albert Shol, Angel Pop, Eluterio Pop, Marvin Casey and Rubilio Pop

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (CTWS)

Site Manager: Derick Hendy

Wardens: Steve Tillett, Sr. and Wilhelm Gillett

Protected Areas Manager-Arvin Coc

St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park (SHBHNP)

Site Manager: Israel Manzanero Sr.

Assistant Site Manager: Darcy Correa

Wardens: Transito Jimenez, Jeremio Cucul, Job Lopez, Jessica Arriaza and Amanda Gillett (effective December 2013)

Guanacaste National Park (GNP)

Site Manager: Uriah Rhaburn

Wardens: Jose Quijada and Alfonso Baptist (part-time)

Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve (TMNR)

Site Manager: Mairo Giron

Assistant Site Manager: Allim Lopez

Wardens: Leroy Moreira and Brian Ortiz

Actun Tunichil Muknal Natural Monument (ATMNM)

Site Manager: Irbin Lino

Protected Areas Manager: Shane Young

Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (HMCNM)

Blue Hole Natural Monument (BHNM)

Site Manager: Clifford Cadle

Assistant Site Manager: Julio Cal

Marine Biologist: Eliceo Cobb (outgoing) Eli Romero (effective July 2013)

Research Assistant: Celso Sho

Wardens: Joshua Morey, William Wade, Reynaldo Caal and Carlos Maza

PROTECTED AREAS MANAGEMENT

The most significant decision in 2013 for this unit was releasing Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve as a site co-managed by the Belize Audubon Society. The decision to relinquish TMNR was finalized in November 2013 at the acceptance of such by the Forest Department, the Government co-managing agency.

Resource Management and Protection

Maintenance and Upgrades

The latter part of 2013 produced heavy showers over the entire country. As a result, there were delays and significant challenges relating to upgrades and operations at all the sites including flooding, impassable trails and temporary site closures.

CTWS/CBWS/VPNM

Infrastructural maintenance continued at CBWS through the upkeep of the access road, trails (including 27km of the Victoria Peak trail), tubing route, mounting railings in challenging areas, reprogramming of communication radios and fixing walkways leading to all buildings.

Several sections of the Cockscomb Basin’s boundary line was cleared, especially areas known as entry points for poachers.

Landscaping was done in the general use zone near the headquarters and campsite near the bird corner; that is, planting trees and putting bird baths to attract birds. Rest benches were also added.

Facility upgrades included repairing all thatched roofs of picnic areas near the headquarters.

Regular maintenance of facilities, trails, boat, and other equipment at CTWS was also carried out, particularly repairing the Limpkin board walk and the restroom door. Additionally some areas were filled with stones to avoid erosion and a feeder was placed at the visitor’s center to attract hummingbirds.


Funding was sourced from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the ‘Strengthening National Capacities for the Operationalization, Consolidation, and Sustainability of Belize’s Protected Areas System (SNC.PAS) Project’ facilitated by the Ministry of Forest, Fisheries and Sustainable Development to enhance CBWS through:

• Upgrading of the office/gift shop at CBWS-the building was repainted, walkway rebuilt, furniture designed and built, and new gift shop items were sourced.

• Creating an alternative recreational activity-a bicycle trail was designed and upgraded to allow potential bikers to ride 12 km along the Victoria Peak trail. Interpretive signs were placed at strategic intervals along the trail.

• Improving communication- satellite internet was installed onsite to improve communication between the staff and BAS main office as well as to offer internet services to visitors and researchers. Other accompanying equipment included a projector and two laptops.

• Improving visibility-A new entrance sign was also designed and placed at the junction of Maya Center Village and CBWS access road.

SHBHNP/GNP/ATMNM/TMNR

Continued maintenance and enhancement of facilities, infrastructure and equipment were carried out. Key accomplishments include:

• The installation of new solar system at SHBHNP

• Clean-up campaign for Mountain Cow Cave (Crystal Cave) within SHBHNP where the formations were defaced.

• Replacement of porch for the visitor and

exhibit centers at SHBHNP.

• Repairing bridges on trails at GNP.

• Repairing swimming deck and birding deck at GNP.

HMCNM/BHNM

The Belize Fisheries Department was instrumental in providing two Motorola handheld radios and a base radio for Half Moon Caye. The radios will be used to bridge the communication gap between the Belize Marine Reserves Network.

Building a new bird observation deck near the Booby Rookery was also constructed.

Installing signage, mooring and demarcation buoys at strategic locations on land and in the water, respectively.

Funding was sourced from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the ‘Strengthening National Capacities for the Operationalization, Consolidation, and Sustainability of Belize’s Protected Areas System (SNC.PAS) Project’ facilitated by the Ministry of Forest, Fisheries and Sustainable Development to enhance HMC through:

• Facility Upgrades- repairing and renovating the Osprey building ,Frigate building (Formerly Miller’s building) and camp ground kitchen

• Improving communication- satellite internet was installed at HMC which has significantly improved communication between HMC and the main office in Belize City. BAS was able to install internet access on site. The upgrade has boosted staff moral and also improved effective management of the site.

Patrols and Enforcement

One of the major components of protected areas management is patrol and enforcement, where management, field staff, and external enforcement


agencies collaborate to address pressing illegal activities within protected areas to ensure the integrity of protected areas are maintained. InAugust 2013, a new partnership was established with the Belize Defence Force and Police Department- Special Patrol Unit to assist BAS in the area of patrolling and enforcement. Several meetings with both enforcement agencies and Forest Department were productive in establishing the foundation of a strong collaboration with BAS, where these agencies will continue to plan and conduct joint patrols within BAS terrestrial protected areas to address illegalities. In addition to this partnership, BAS now sits in the monthly Inter-agency meeting organized by the Belize Defense Force. These meetings include other governmental enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations that meet and discuss enforcement successes and challenges. With such support and involvement in the enforcement sector of the country, BAS looks forward to maximizing patrol and enforcement activities within key terrestrial protected areas.

LightHawk, once again supported the Belize Audubon Society with over flights of all the protected areas at no cost. For the past 25 years, flights have allowed BAS and its partners the opportunity to get an aerial perspective of the protected areas, in order make observations and follow-up with on the ground visits if necessary. In 2013, there were no significant observations of illegal encroachment, altered landscape or damage from natural disasters; however pictures were taken to document the view and compare to previous years.

CBWS/VPNM

A total of 16 patrols (surveillance and deep jungle) were jointly carried out by CBWS staff along with another enforcement agency and/or an NGO including: Tourism Police Unit (TPU), Ya’axche Conservation Trust (YCT), Belize Defense Force (BDF), Special Patrol Unit (SPU) and Forest Department (FD).

Of the 16 patrols, one deep jungle patrol was conducted by four entities, namely, BDF, SPU, FD and BAS with the overall goal of deterring illegal activities within the protected area. No signs of illegal activities were observed during the patrol.

The only arrest was made in April 2013, when 5 men from San Roman were arrested and charged for illegal entry, illegal hunting and illegal fishing within the Wildlife Sanctuary. At the Court hearing, the charges were eventually reduced by the Magistrate and each men was charged a fine of $100.00 plus the cost of Court and subsequently released.

Occasionally, the Tourism Police Unit (Hopkins Formation) conducted random patrols in CBWS to ensure that tour guides were in compliance with the Tour Guide regulations.

Site Manager-Nicacio Coc, former Protected Areas Manager-Dominique Lizama and YCT’s Protected Areas Manager-Lee McLoughlin conducted a field visit to the Bladen Nature Reserve (BNR) and made observations of activities within BNR and CBWS, which denotes trespassing. Subsequent to that visit, the three met with Jacob Marlin, Manager of Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding between the co-managing partners and BFREE for a better working relationship.

CBWS received an Inmarsat satellite phone and a Garmin GPS for improved communication and navigation during patrols.

CTWS

A total of 17 announced and unannounced patrols were jointly carried out by CTWS staff with the support of the Fisheries Department, Police Department (Ladyville sub-station) & the Belize Coast Guard. The areas patrolled included all key areas within the wetland system: Crooked Tree Lagoon, Bight Swamp, Black Creek, Mexico Lagoon, Jones Lagoon, Southern Lagoon, Poor Haul Creek, Spanish Creek, Western Lagoon, Back Landing Water Side, Calabash Pond, & Revenge Lagoon. In addition, daily patrols were carried out on trails by CTWS site staff.

Throughout the patrols, a number of dead crocodiles and expended 12 gauge shells were observed within the Sanctuary. It is believed that this was in retaliation of the crocodile


attack on a villager the year before. This has set the basis for future environmental education and interest in research on crocodiles.

An illegal air strip was also detected in the pine savannah area beyond the boundaries of the protected area. It is suspected that it is used to transport illegal drugs; however, no one was seen/heard in the area therefore no one was arrested. The information was forwarded to the relevant authorities.

A total of 4 gill nets illegally placed in the Crooked Tree lagoon were removed and handed over to the Fisheries Department after being labeled as found property.

Two Central American River Turtles (locally known as Hicatee) were handed over to the CTWS staff in March; one was released into the Crooked Tree Lagoon and the other into the Belize River.

SHBHNP/GNP/ATMNM/TMNR

At Guanacaste National Park, Actun Tunichil Muknal Natural Monument and St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park, consistent patrols and monitoring have been successful where no signs of illegal encroachments within these three protected areas were reported; however, Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve continued to face challenges despite strategic efforts by management and staff. With the onset of the dry season in the early part of the year, staff had reported signs of hunting within the Reserve. Outside of the Reserve there were reports of illegal logging. As a result, a four day patrol was carried out by TMNR staff, BDF soldiers, Police Officers from the Special Patrol Unit and FD personnel which alarmed hunters, xateros and loggers about the presence of enforcement agencies within the Reserve. Since then, there was a decrease in illegal activities.

Patrols conducted totaled: 187 – SHBHNP, 305- GNP, and 69- TMNR. For SHBHNP and GNP, patrol reports for 2013 were daily surveillance


patrols within these smaller protected areas and resulted in minimal reports of illegal activities. TMNR had a mix of surveillance patrols and deep jungle patrols.

HMCNM/BHNM

BAS and collaborative enforcement agencies remained vigilant within Lighthouse Reef Atoll throughout 2013. BAS recognized the continuous support from the Belize Fisheries Department, Belize Forest Department, Belize Coast Guard, and Belize Tourism Police.

On average 29 daily patrols were conducted on a monthly basis within Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments, and Light House Reef Atoll.

Fifteen (15) individuals were arrested for offenses committed under the National Park System Act- Illegal entry and Fishing within a Natural Monument. Eight (8) arrests were made for offences committed contrary to the Fisheries Act; Possession of conch during the closed season, possession of conch weighing less than the legal requirement, or fishing without a valid fisherfolk license.

HMC received an Inmarsat satellite phone for improved communication.

Environmental Education and Community Outreach

Staff continued using the natural environment as a teaching tool to complement the information they shared with teachers, students, visitors, buffer communities. Environmental education talks/orientations were given to students who visited the protected areas under the ‘Nature School’ programme. Topics included: history and importance of protected areas, biodiversity of the area, and any specific topics lecturers may have requested from staff.

CBWS/VPNM

The St. Jude R.C. School located in Maya Center Village received assistance from the Belize Audubon Society-CBWS staff through transportation assistance of school materials and staff time to help with repairs at the school.

Bush/Game meat that was confiscated during

a joint operation within CBWS was donated, with the authorization from the Forest Department, to the feeding program of the United Community Primary School located in San Roman Village.

CTWS

Staff participated in the educational awareness campaign, led by the Education Manager, on the invasive species, “Plecos or Armoured Catfish” that was reportedly caught in Belizean waters.

Site Manager, Derick Hendy, as a member of the Quality Child Friendly Initiative in schools lobbied for a photo copying machine for the Crooked Tree Government School which was officially handed over to the school’s principal.

CTWS staff participated in several community meetings in Crooked Tree village. BAS strengthened its working relationship with the newly elected Crooked Tree Village Council and took the opportunity to highlight the work of the organization, the importance of the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, the main contributions that have been given to the Crooked Tree Village and the laws that govern the Sanctuary.

The Belize Audubon Society assisted the Crooked Tree Village Council by donating paint for the enhancement of the village’s basketball court.

The Belize Audubon Society assisted the Crooked Tree Village with staff’s time, fuel and a motor boat during the flooding period of Oct 2013 to Feb 2014. Additionally, BAS facilitated the Belize Coast Guard by allowing the visitor’s center/office to serve as base camp during that time.

CTWS staff participated in a clean-up campaign along with the Crooked Tree primary school in appreciation of National Service Day.

SHBHNP/GNP

BAS partnered with two tour guides who have been interested in providing cave tubing tours at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. In


order to provide economic benefit to buffer zone communities, BAS established a yearly contract with the two tour guides on February 6, 2013. BAS currently provides office space on-site for the tour guides, in order for them to carry out their tours professionally. This has been a positive relationship where members of the buffer communites of SHBHNP appreciate and support the partnership that was made.

A meeting was held with tour guides and villagers from buffer communities of SHBHNP. The meeting was held as an exercise for a management planning course which focused on SHBHNP. Tour guides and community members provided insight of the general area around SHBHNP and their opinions as to why it is important to protect SHBHNP.

BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND MONITORING

The protected areas continue to serve as key sites for biodiversity research and monitoring. Key research work that BAS endorsed and supported along with biodiversity monitoring completed by staff in 2013 are listed below.

Terrestrial

CTWS

Bill Hilton returned to Belize in 2013 for the fifth consecutive year to continue his studies on the Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) in CTWS. His team set out several mist nets across the Crooked Tree village, captured and banded 12 Ruby-throated hummingbirds, 2 adult males and 10 females of undetermined age. Apart from capturing these hummingbirds other exciting captures included the recapturing of American Redstarts, Summer Tanagers, and White-eyed vireos from 2011 which indicates fidelity to their site. Other migrants were captured and banded while the resident birds were only photographed.

Read more at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek130225.html

2013 marked the first year in conducting a preliminary assessment of the Yellow-

headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix) within the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Staff and Wildlife Biologist, Charles Britt who has been studying Scarlet Macaws in Belize, teamed up with the CTWS field staff to scout the northern end of the protected area known for regular sightings of Yellow-heads, nesting trees and evidence of poaching. “At the end of the two day assessment in April, a total of 43.5 km (27 mi) were covered and between 85 and 95 YHPAs were observed. Most were in two foraging flocks of 50 individuals and 10 individuals in the village. Approximately 15 old nests were found to be chopped down. An additional 25 nests were found to have been damaged from prior poaching events but are still suitable for use while six (6) active nests were observed” (Britt, 2013).

Ph. D. candidate Geoffrey Wells spent three weeks in Crooked Tree Village to carry out a social survey on the economic value of the Savanna Forests surrounding the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. In summary, the study showed that lowland savannas may be important for informal and public good economic benefits, particularly for more vulnerable households.

CBWS

The University of Belize’s Environmental Research Institute (UB-ERI) with funding from partners such as Panthera expanded their jaguar research at the CBWS in 2013. In hopes of capturing more females on camera since previous data showed that the capture probability for females in the existing survey area was much lower when compared to males, it was decided that the cameras would be deployed for a full year (365 days) as opposed to the usual 2-3 months every year. At the end of the first full year’s survey, interim results show 34 individuals of which 13 are females, 17 are males and 4 individuals whose gender could not be determined. Individuals of both sexes were detected at advanced ages-one male is at a minimum 14 years (if detected March 2014) and a female at 12 years. Overall, there are still more male sightings than females which indicates that females do not


show themselves regularly enough probably because of the high male dominance in the area. Gathering more data on females require longer term continuous trapping to capture a larger sample of female individuals and perhaps sampling off trail areas and by rivers/ streams (Harmsen, B.-Progress Report 2013-2014)

The staff of CBWS assisted the UB-ERI in gathering demographic data and detailed information from families in San Roman and Santa Rosa which buffers CBWS. The survey focused on farm management and residence management for pigs they rear; this is an effort to gather baseline data on farmers surrounding CBWS who have had or may have encounters with problem jaguars.

Carlos Santibanez-Lopez began his studies on the “Survey of the Scorpions of the genus Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 Scorpions: Diplocentridae from Central America” at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. In summary, they were only able to collect two juvenile scorpions of two species in the CBWS and SHBHNP. “They were identified as: Diplocentrus lucidus (from SHBH) and Diplocentrus ornatus (from CBWS); this determination was possible because of some characters that juveniles bear, and because they were collected near the specified localities” (Lopez, 2014). Unfortunately, based on the specimens collected, the researcher was unable to get the information he was seeking for his study, that is, the possibility to re describe the species based on both sexes.

In May 24-28, 2013, Dr. John Shuey of The Nature Conservancy (Indiana office) and his co-researchers, Paul Labus, Larry Clemens and Allen Pursell carried out their research on “Insect communities of Belize-Assessment of selected families of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera at Cockscomb Basin”. Although they did get to sample butterflies at Cockscomb Basin, unfortunately, the rainy season had not quite begun and the number of species captured was quite low. Despite the poor collecting, they did encounter a species new to Belize within Cockscomb

Basin, Calospilla pelarge, a species that is known to occur from southeastern Mexico to Ecuador. They encountered this butterfly along a forested trail along the river, where males were resting under large palm leaves. Dr. Shuey and his co-researchers have been studying butterflies in CBWS since 2004. To date, they have recorded 1425 records of butterflies from Cockscomb Basin, representing 359 different species. Of these, 22 species are not known from other sites within Belize. This represents over 33% of the total species known from Belize (~970 species) and 75% of the species known from the Stann Creek District (473 species). There is an available list with details for all species recorded within Cockscomb Basin. Some species of the 22 from Belize found only within Cockscomb Basin are Symmachia tricolor, Theope phaeo, Anteros formosus, Episcada salvinia, Contrafacia ahola and Zonia zonia, just to list a few. Many of these species are probably more widespread throughout the region, but several are likely restricted to vegetation unique to the granite soils of the eastern Maya Mountains. Many of the rare species have been encountered on the Outlier Peak and are probably species that live primarily in the forest canopy and are rarely encountered at ground level. There are plans to continue this research in 2014.

Roland Keller carried out a short photographic survey to identify woody plants by means of their vegetative characters in the Bladen Nature Reserve, Chiquibul National Park and Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Fred Fischer III and his field assistants Heath Sawyer and Mitch Danforth started year 1 of their research “An Integrated Pedogeomorphologic-Vegetation Survey of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Studies”. The focus of this year’s field work was on mapping the test sites and digging three plots which are predicted to best represent the CBWS soils, landscape, vegetation communities and ecosystems. From the test plots, the team will describe, assess and compare


soil characteristics, properties and their associated landscape features to specially processed coincident ASTER satellite imagery. The imagery could potentially detail changes in the forest canopy’s structure and density if either the soil-landscape or forest vegetation is adversely impacted by environmental or anthropogenic influences. Soil samples were taken to Humboldt State University for laboratory analysis. The end result is that from these test plots, relational information will be extrapolated for the entire Sanctuary.

Bird monitoring activities continued in CBWS and CTWS using the point count methodology. The latter part of 2013 had unusually high rainfall levels starting in October which affected the number of bird sightings and staff’s ability to access the trails. As well, due to increased rainfall and resulting damages onsite, staff had to focus more on infrastructural repairs. The total number of birds and species recorded for this year and previous years will be uploaded on eBird, a real-time online checklist programme for bird sightings.

Marine

HMCNM/BHNM

Ongoing research and monitoring program of key marine species within Lighthouse Reef Atoll (LHRA) which includes HMCNM and BHNM:

• Nassau grouper spawning and aggregation

• Sea grass health

• Conch density survey

• Lobster density survey

• Coral bleaching assessment

• White-phase Red-footed Booby Bird count

• Sea turtle nesting activity on Half Moon Caye and Sandbore Caye

• Annual migratory bird count

• Strategic removal of coconut palms and seedlings within the littoral forest


In highlighting two focus areas of monitoring from HMC in 2013, the annual conch survey results for the Lighthouse Reef Atoll showed that when comparing the protected and none protected sites, there were significantly more conch outside of the protected area, which is mostly likely because majority of the sampling sites are located outside the protected area boundaries (15 outside and 6 inside protected area). Although majority falls outside, when comparing all none protected sites, the sites that fall directly within 1km radius outside of the protected area had significantly more conch than those sites further away from the protected area (6 are <=1km and 9 are >1km from the protected area(s) boundary). This could suggest that the protected area is having a positive effect in the management of the conch population within LHRA when considering the ‘spill-over’ effect.

The turtle nesting monitoring programme for the LHRA started in 2008 with monitoring only the beaches of HMC for evidence of Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Green turtles. The monitoring programme was expanded to other islands within the LHRA. Results for 2013, showed a total of 12 nests being recorded to have successfully hatched, as well as several crawls also being documented. It was noted that HMC and Sandbore Caye had an increased in nest activity; however, many crawls and nests go un-noticed on other islands where BAS staff are not constantly present. Furthermore, the other islands in the atoll are privately owned.

Capacity Building

In an effort to strengthen human resources capacity and skill, staff members of the Protected Areas actively participated in the following trainings:

Conservation Director’s & Protected Areas Managers’ trainings:

Management Planning offered by University of Belize’s Environmental Research Institute (UB-ERI)- the Protected Areas Manager (Cayo Parks) now has the knowledge of the requirements needed to develop or revise a management plan.

Protected Areas Management Effectiveness &

Evaluation (MEE) course (theory & practical) offered by UB-ERI-the Conservation Director and Protected Areas Manager (Marine Parks) now has the capacity to carry out MEE for the different protected areas on a regular basis.

Conservation Action Planning (CAP) the Conservation Director had an introduction to the CAP process from the National Audubon Society and an intense ‘walk-through’ of the CAP process facilitated by the UB-ERI. The Conservation Director is a part of the task force member team receiving training for the development of the CAP for the Central Belize Corridor.

Geographic Information System (GIS)-The National Audubon Society has kindly provided ESRI licenses as well as ‘one-on-one’ training sessions for the BAS staff. BAS is now equipped with the software and training to provide different types of maps for research and patrol purposes. The Lands Information Center from the Ministry of Natural Resources has also provided BAS with much needed data/shape files to better enhance our work.

Trial Preparation and Advocacy course at the University of the West Indies- Protected Areas Manager (Marine Parks)

Socio Economic Assessment Tool Training facilitated by NOAA/GCFI- Protected Areas Manager (Marine Parks)

Marine Enforcement Training in Grenada facilitated by CaMPAM- Protected Areas Manager (Marine Parks)

Wardens’ training:

Special Police Constable- staff from CBWS, SHBHNP, HMCNM

Swift Water Rescue Training-staff from ATM, GNP and SHBHNP

Ranger Exchange Training (patrol and enforcement)-staff from SHBHNP & ATMNM


Trial Preparation and Advocacy course at the University of the West Indies- Site Managers from CBWS & CTWS; staff is now better able to collect evidence, prepare case files and represent BAS in court for cases in which they arrest trespassers who enter the BAS protected areas.

Bird Sleuth training, an educational programme to teach about birds- Derick Hendy, CTWS Site Manager, attended a two day workshop hosted by Ya’axché Conservation Trust in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Education Program.

Solar System Maintenance- staff from CBWS received intense training on routine maintenance of the solar system at CBWS.

SMART Software Patrol & Enforcement Training (Fisheries Department)-staff from HMC and Protected Areas Manager (Marine Parks)

Coral and Reef Fish Identification facilitated by UB-ERI- HMC’s Research assistant

Atlantic & Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Methodology Training facilitated by Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI)-HMC’s Marine biologist and Research assistant

Networking

The Conservation Programme Director, the Protected Areas Managers and the field staff all play integral roles in networking both locally and internationally. As a result of partaking in meetings or being the BAS representative for various committees, BAS has been able to foster and strengthen partnerships in conservation. The Conservation Programme staff also participated in several National Development meetings and workshops. Some of the committees/networks we sit on include:

National Hicatee Conservation Monitoring Network

National Maritime Security Committee (Coast Guard)

Inter-agency meetings organized by the Belize Defense Force with governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Debt for Nature Swap Oversight Committee

Belize Disaster and Rescue Response Team

Belize Police Department-Tourism Police Unit & Special Patrol Unit

Managed Access Working Group (Fisheries)

Special Events

BAS hosted Rowan Garel (an advocate for visually impaired children) at Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monuments in his effort to raise awareness and fundraise for visually impaired children in Belize. Rowan, a visually impaired teenager, took the brave task of diving the Blue Hole with his father Joe Garel and fellow supporters.

BAS hosted the International Coral Reef Initiative (IRCI) on a field visit. Marine Protected Areas Managers from several countries visited Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monuments. The ICRI guests had the opportunity to experience the work of BAS in the capacity of the NGO protected areas co-manager for HMCNM and BHNM.


Environmental Education Program Annual Report 2013Dareece Chuc, Environmental Education Program Manager

Environmental Education is a key program area at BAS with the goal of creating knowledge of the environment and raise awareness of protected areas and their role in conservation. Furthermore, the environmental education program seeks to develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment among Belizeans, at the same time nurture a growing enthusiasm for nature exploration.

Formal Environmental Education:

The tradition of visiting schools to conduct environmental themed presentations continued in 2013.The BAS environmental education program conducted 26 classroom presentations during the year

2013. Most of the presentations were conducted at primary schools in Belize City. Some 2,400 students were educated on an array of topics, including Protected Areas, conservation and development, the role of BAS as an NGO, ecosystems, oil exploration and watersheds. Through formal school presentations, children are first introduced to concepts and build knowledge in conservation which leads to better understanding and appreciation of the environment.

Furthermore, BAS continuously reaches out to the buffer communities through the schools. Seven schools (2 high schools and 4 primary schools) buffering the Cayo parks were engaged through interactive school presentations. These presentations highlighted the importance of protected areas and the laws governing protected areas. This outreach was done to educate the children and youths about the value of protected areas, at the same time encouraging them to be a part of conservation efforts by volunteering. A total of 126 high school students and 219 primary school students from the Cayo District participated in the outreach activities.


Informal environmental education:

The environmental education program embraces every opportunity to educate Belizeans about protected areas and conservation. This year BAS actively participated in events such as World Water Day, Reef Week fair and Museum Day at the Benque House of Culture. In addition, the BAS participated as guest presenter in two workshops, notably, is the Preschool Unit’s Early Childhood training workshop where BAS conducted a session on Environmental Education for early childhood teachers. The workshop had 31 teachers from around the country participating. The second workshop BAS conducted was for the National Library Service, for Librarians preparing to implement their summer program. The objective of the workshop was to build the librarians knowledge on endangered species and laws governing wildlife in Belize.

Protected Areas as Nature Schools:

It has long been realized that environmental education is enhanced through outdoor experiences. Through the Nature School program, field staff uses the natural

environment to educate and inspire visiting students and teachers. Four sites co-managed by the BAS offers unique experiences and opportunities for learning through exploring forests, caves, wetlands and rivers, all a part of the great outdoor learning. Each year an average of 6,000 students traverse the trail systems of the four protected areas combined.

Over the past 10 years SHBHNP has attracted large numbers of primary school students. This year was no different as 3,010 students participated in the Nature School Program. The other three sites, GNP, CBWS and CTWS hosted 1,384, 768 and 513 students respectively. Combined, all four sites, through the Nature School program hosted 5,675 primary school students.

Celebrating World Wetlands Day with the community of Crooked Tree:

February 2nd marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Ramsar treaty and has since been declared World Wetlands Day (WWD). The objective of the day is to celebrate the importance of Ramsar sites, and to create awareness on the Ramsar Convention. This


year the day was celebrated around the world under the theme “Wetland and water management” and the slogan “Wetlands takes care of water”. For the Belize Audubon Society World Wetlands Day is an excellent opportunity to create awareness about wetlands and provide opportunities to engage Belizeans in conservation.

Through our continuous environmental education and outreach program around buffer communities of the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, sixteen students, two teachers and four parents from the village of Crooked Tree were taken on a trip to the Sarstoon Temash National Park (STNP) on WWD. The STNP is the southernmost terrestrial protected area in Belize and a Ramsar site, established in 1994. It is the second largest national park in Belize encompassing 41,898 acres of relatively undisturbed wetlands, mangrove and a mix of broadleaf forest.

The trip was largely by boat, travelling up the Temash River. The tour was facilitated by the staff of SATIIM who shared the history of the protected area’s establishment and discussed some of the challenges and successes in managing the site. The staff especially elaborated on the good working relationship that SATIIM (the co-

manager) has developed with the communities that buffer the STNP.

It was an eye opening experience for the BAS staff. They were able to relate to many of the challenges shared and learnt some interesting facts about the STNP. For the students, teachers and parents of Crooked Tree Village it was a positive nature based experience to increase knowledge about their country while stimulating thought on environmental issues and creating further appreciation for wetlands.

Summer Program:

With the onset of summer vacation, Belize Audubon Society launched its calendar of summer activities offering all Belizeans an opportunity to learn about their beautiful country through protected areas. The summer program is designed to be child friendly and family centered, planned with every participant in mind.

This year five activities were successfully carried out in the month of July. The first day camp for members and family took place at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park (SHBHNP) on July 29th, with fifty-three campers who went hiking, cave exploring, and


swimming in the cool waters of the inland Blue Hole.

On the early morning of July 7th, twenty two bird enthusiasts came out to participate in the Birds of a Feather Flock Together camp. These birders in the making toured the city with BAS’ Dirk Francisco and long service (Board) member Rudi Burgos with transportation from the Belize Horse and Carriage tours.

To create awareness on the importance of mangroves around the Belize City area, a Mangrove camp was offered on July 11th and 12th. This camp gave participants the opportunity to see Belize City from a boat ride up the Haulover Creek and to learn about the Burdon Canal Nature Reserve.

Rarely do Belizeans get the opportunity to visit the world renowned Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monuments, two protected areas co-managed by the BAS. Realizing this, the BAS offered a one day trip to the two sites for its members, family and friends. On July 20th, one hundred and thirty-three Belizeans took up the offer.

Running for the fourth year in a row, the Nature Photography for Children was once again a huge success. This two day camp was held on July 4th and 5th and had sixteen children on day one and twenty-five on day two. Activities during the first day of the camp focused on photography tips for capturing perfect nature shots and day two was a field trip to Guanacaste National Park to put those newly acquired skills to the test.

This year BAS teamed up with the Radisson Fort George Hotel’s VIP Kids club for a family movie night. The movie night was well attended with over 90 members from BAS and the VIP Kids club.

BAS’ summer program would not be possible without the continued support from our friends and partners. We thank you and look forward to more successful collaborations next year.

Summer collaborations:

The BAS is seen as an important contributor to the environmental education and awareness in Belize. As a result many organizations in Belize, invite the BAS to participate in their summer activities. This year BAS participated in seven camps for children around the country (such as Belize City Council’s Children’s camp, Liberty Children’s Home camp and The National Library

Services Children’s camp). Notably was BAS’ partnership with the Belize Defence Force to implement a “Birding and Photography camp” which had the participation of 20 Belize City children and took place from July 8th to the 19th at price Barracks, Ladyville.

Armoured Catfish Awareness Campaign:

To assist in the national effort to create awareness on the invasive “Armored Catfish” or “Plecos” in Belize, the BAS partnered with the Fisheries Department to carry out an awareness campaign targeting communities along the Belize River, Rio Hondo and New River. BAS reached five communities during the months of February and March, some of which are buffer communities of the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary including Lemonal and Crooked Tree Villages. The mini-campaign included issuing of informational posters and flyers and presentations in schools and informal discussions with community leaders. The campaign highlighted the history and origin of the Armored catfish, description of fish, threats to Belize (social and environmental) and strategy for control in Belize.

Projects with an Environmental Education Component:

The BAS designs all projects strategically to incorporate environmental education into its objectives. This year the project entitled: Implementing Capacity Building in the Mesoamerican Reef MPA Community, fund by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and implemented by BAS, continued with raising awareness about protected areas and their role in conservation as one of three objectives. The beneficiaries of this project are the fishing communities of Sarteneja, Chunox and Copper Bank in the Corozal District.

A campaign under the theme “Marine Laws and Protected Areas” was carried out between January to March 2013, in the three communities of Sarteneja, Chunox and Copper Bank, targeting primary school children. Five primary schools from the three communities were actively engaged in a series of activities to enhance their knowledge and understanding of marine conservation. The highlight of the educational campaign was a drama competition between five primary schools from the three communities, under the theme “Our Reef”.

The winning school was Chunox RC School with their drama piece entitled “Stand up for your Rights”. Second place went to Sarteneja Nazarene School and third place awarded to Sarteneja La Immaculada RC School.


A total of 319 students and 15 teachers participated in the activities.

Volunteers and interns:

Volunteers and interns continue to be valuable contributors to the work of BAS. This year the environmental education program had the assistance of three volunteers. The volunteers were instrumental in executing the summer program by entertaining children and families and playing the role of chaperone. The talented volunteers worked on the development of educational materials including presentations, flyers, banners and bird “themed” book makers for the summer program. We continue to encourage volunteers to give their time and skills to BAS, it builds personal and professional experience while contributing to protecting Belize’s natural resources.

BAS News and Updates:

In 2013 the BAS’ Facebook page became an important medium to reach out to our members and supporters both nationally and internationally. The Facebook page was used to disseminate information, share news and updates on work throughout the year. We look forward to more fun with Facebook in the upcoming year! If you have not “liked” us yet you can go to our page—Belize Audubon Society.

Another important tool that has been traditionally used at BAS to disseminate information and engage members is the BAS newsletter. In 2013 two newsletters were published with the following themes: “Water a Precious Resource” and “Environmental Enforcement”

which were disseminated to BAS members and schools throughout Belize.

Through a cadre of communication channels such as interactive presentations, educational displays, social media, the nature school and publications, the BAS’ environmental education program continues to positively contribute to environmental education in Belize.

Staff Training:

Participating in training activities to improve staff’s skills and knowledge continued in 2013. The Environmental Program manager, the Publicity Coordinator and the Crooked Tree Site Manager participated in a two day training on the BirdSleuth - International: Connecting Kids through Birds” curriculum. The workshop was hosted by Ya’axche and conducted by Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology BirdSleuth-International program coordinator. The workshop introduced the bird curriculum and discussed its use in both classroom and informal environmental education to engage students in learning about conservation of birds and their habitats, citizen science and the biology of birds. The staff enjoyed the workshop and was able to further network with other organizations in the country that have a similar environmental education mission. Additionally, the training was very instrumental in stimulating new ideas among staff for a structured bird awareness campaign to connect children of buffer communities with their natural local surroundings.


Advocacy Annual Report 2013Arreini Palacio-Morgan, Advocacy Program Manager

On the heels of a year of slow national economic growth, key investment decisions loomed over our country in 2013. It is in this environment the Advocacy Program continued to play a pivotal, active and responsive role in the continued prioritization of environmental and protected areas issues.

Advocacy 2013 at a glance

• The Society continued its commitment to collaboration and cooperation with stakeholders as essential elements to successful conservation through maintained Board of Directors positions on The Coalition to Save Our Natural Resources and the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations. 2013 was a challenging year of change and development for both organizations.

Influencing Environment

Developments

The Advocacy Programme continued to champion our organization’s vision by lobbying for the inclusion of responsible components that uplift people while sustainably developing our country within projects subjected to EIAs. As a co-opted member of NEAC BAS reviewed and prepared positions for the following projects:

1) Santander Group Sugar Cane Project, Castile Area of the Cayo District - BAS’s comments included concerns about the management of the drainage canal which presently divides the Labouring Creek Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary, the drafting of a Conservation Action Plan with primary focus on large mammals and the need for more consultation with several key stakeholders.

2) Belize Sustainable Agriculture Limited, George Price Highway, Cayo District – BAS’s comments centered on the health of the residents buffering the project area. Our recommendation was to lessen or exclude the method of pesticide application. The use of water from and leaching of waste materials into the Belize River was also a major concern.


3) StakeBank and North Drown Caye Cruise Tourism Project, 6miles east of Belize City - Key in BAS’s comments was the concern that one of the causeways cuts across the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary potentially compromising the health of the marine environment. Our recommendation included the exclusion of a refueling component as the risks and mitigation measures were not satisfactorily covered.

Representation

BAS is an active conservation stakeholder in Belize, and as such has become the Government of Belize’s go-to organization when seeking to engage strategic partners in the improvement of our country’s environmental performance. This year, BAS had the opportunity to participate in several Government lead initiatives:

1) National Climate Change Committee’s Public Education and Communication’s Committee – This Committee was formed in early 2013 with a clear mandate to oversee the drafting and implementation of a Communication Plan for Climate Change. The Advocacy Manager was the Association of Protected

Areas Manager’s (APAMO) representative on this Committee.

2) National Climate Change Resilience Investment Plan – The World Bank tasked a group of consultants with producing a comprehensive set of projects to make basic infrastructure resilient to climate change and mitigate disaster risks. Four consultation workshops were held with various stakeholders to prioritize needs and set out the ground work for the drafting of grant applications.

3) Marine Biodiversity Offsets – This three day workshop, hosted by the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, explored the concept of allowing developers that are benefiting from and damaging our natural resources to offset that damage, so that there is no net loss of bio-diversity. This is a tool that may prove to be useful when negotiating with developers.

4) Multilateral Environmental Agreements – The Department of the Environment hosted a refresher on RAMSAR, CITES, CBD, SPAW and other multilateral environmental agreements the Government of Belize signed on to, for Government employees and NGO stakeholders. The three day workshop allowed participants to align these MEA’s to national development plans.

5) Solid Waste Management - The Solid Waste Management Authority, in its bid to complete a National Solid Waste Management Policy and Strategy, held two one day consultation workshops with various stakeholders to assess municipal and rural solid waste issues and suggest solutions.

Looking forward

In challenging economic times, it is important to ensure our nation’s decision makers are cognizant of the significance of maintaining the integrity of our rich natural resources. What better way to drive this important fact home than using the foundation of Belize’s oldest conservation membership organization. It is imperative to tap into the renewable energy and passion of existing members to become advocates of the NGO and in the sustainable development of our natural resources.


Community Liaison Manager Annual Report 2013Lucito Ayuso, Community Liaison Manager

Introduction

2013 was a great year for the BAS’ Community outreach program; best suited for the years work is the slogan “No man is an Island”. This year’s diverse achievements would not have been possible without the collective support of protected areas managers, other BAS’ staff, volunteers and other strategic stakeholders and alliances in the implementation of its community outreach. BAS continued to build and solidify its relationships with buffer communities. In addition, the Community Liaison Manager participated in various levels of trainings hence giving a tremendous boost to programs capacity. Throughout 2013, BAS successfully completed one project, continues to work on another

and initiated two more.

In promoting its community outreach the BAS, Government agencies and other Civil Society agencies continued to strengthen relationships through the following activities:

Promoted awareness of the “Plecos” invasive species in buffer communities of CTWS and surrounding communities of the Belize River Valley

Participated in community chats where fishermen increased awareness on BAS’ conservation role, gained knowledge about Managed Access and supported a ban on shark, rays and turtle fishing, and use of long lines and nets

Attended community consultations with buffer communities of Cayo Parks and HMC/BHNM

Participated in Cultural Open Day at Chunox


Exchanged visits with other working groups - Ministry of Agriculture, San Antonio Women’s Group and Mopan Technical High School

The participation of the Community Liaison Manager in the following activities and other professional development listed below contributed to the overall enhancement of BAS’ Community Outreach.

Attended Belize Fishers Federation Meetings

Capacity building with Proposal Writing course at UWI

Attended a series of EAFD workshops

Attended the School Garden Forum in Punta Gorda

Attended the SOCMON training

BAS partnered with Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Technology (BEST) to implement the project, “Empowerment of Northern Communities through Sustainable Livelihoods for the conservation of BBRRS-WHS”. The goals of the project were to expand the sustainable use of the resources of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System-World Heritage Site (BBRRS-WHS) and promote the protection, conservation and sustainable use of the resources of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System-World Heritage Site (BBRRRS-WHS). The project was funded by COMPACT. BAS implemented the awareness component of the project and the following activities were successfully completed:

255 community stakeholders participated in three video nights at Copper Bank, Chunox and Sarteneja.

332 students and 18 teachers from 5 Primary schools in the Corozal District participated in the Our Reef and Marine Laws Drama Competition.

437 fisher folks from Copper Bank, Chunox and Sarteneja participated in the joint community outreach/ enforcement strategy.

In addition, BAS initiated the project, “Implementing Capacity building in the Mesoamerican Reef MPA community.” The project’s goal is to build capacity for effective implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR). The project is funded by GCFI/NOAA. The following activities were successfully completed:

Three BAS staff participated in the Socio-economic Monitoring workshop that was coordinated by BAS and funded by GCFI/NOAA.

Six community members from the communities of Copper Bank, Chunox and Sarteneja, received small grants to promote alternative livelihoods that are environmentally friendly.

Also, BAS is partnering with the Belize Forest Department, Department of Cooperatives and the Ministry of Agriculture to implement the project, “Protecting and sustaining the Biodiversity Resources of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary through the Promotion of Environmentally Friendly Sustainable Supplementary Livelihoods.” The project aims at improving the sustainability of CBWS through the promotion of sustainable livelihoods, an environmental stewardship program and monitoring incursion trends. It is funded by SGP/GEF. The following activities were successfully completed:

Socio economic mapping for seven buffer communities (Maya Center, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Roman, Maya Mopan, Red Bank, San Pablo) surrounding CBWS

Two joint patrols with Belize Audubon Society (BAS), Belize Defense Force( BDF), Special Patrol Unit (SPU), Tourism Police Unit (TPU), Forest Department (FD) and Ya’axche’ Conservation Trust (YCT).

Conclusion

The community outreach mission of integrating conservation with sustainable alternative livelihoods has played an active role in promoting BAS’ conservation work. BAS’ will continue to play a strategic role in promoting its community outreach mission through the collaborative efforts and solidification of relationships with its diverse partners including Government agencies, civil society , national and international partners.


64.83%

12.07%

23.10%

Year 2013 Expenditures

Protected Areas Management

Advocacy, Education, Research, Programmes, Community Development, Network, Fundraising

Administration

62.62%9.53%0.63%

6.86%

0.06%

20.30%Entrance Fees

Grant Support

Membership Dues

Contributions

Interest Income

Other Income Generating Activities

Year 2013 Support and Revenue

02000400060008000

100001200014000

# of

Vis

itors

Protected Areas

Visitation at BAS Managed Parks 2013

Local Foreign


BAS Thanks Donors!BAS is grateful for support from:

Debt for Nature Swap(Governments of Belize and the United States)

National Audubon SocietyVermont Audubon

Oak FoundationSICA - Alianza en Energia y Ambiente con Centroamerica (AEA)

Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT)COMPACTLightHawk

Happy Hollow Park & ZooJoel Gordon Trust

All Individual donors

and our PartnersBEST

Belize Police DepartmentForest Department

Belize Defense ForceBelize National Coast Guard

Fisheries DepartmentUniversity of Belize (ERI)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)Tourism Police Unit

Belize Audubon Society16 North Park Street, P.O. Box 1001

Belize City, BelizeE-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.belizeaudubon.orgTel: 501-223-5004/4988/4987

Fax: 501-223-4985

belize audubon society 2013 annual report 1

Documents