Coalition Protects 230,000 Acres of Land in Belize to Save Rainforest, Jaguars and Other WIldlife

More than a dozen organizations, composed of non-government organizations, community leaders, businesses, and the local government formed an alliance to protect 230,000 acres of land in the Maya Forest, considered a cornerstone move to conserve one of the world's last remaining pristine rainforests.

This protected area is close to and is twice the size of the Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area that was protected through the efforts of a coalition led by The Nature Conservancy. Both areas comprise nine percent of the entire landmass of Belize and secure an important wildlife corridor in the dwindling forests of Central America, as reported by the Good News Network.

Protected Belize Maya Forest Part of 38-M Acre Selva Maya

These protected areas will complete a vast forest network across Mexico, Belize and Guatemala named the Selva Maya, which comprises 38 million acres of forest that includes 11 million acres of parks and protected areas in Central America.

Over the past decade, the Maya Forest Corridor that links Belize's Maya Mountain Massif to Belize Mountain Forest has suffered from deforestation four times the national average, due to the clearing of land for industrial agriculture use. Conservation advocates feared this new protected tract of land would have suffered the same fate.

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Getting the necessary protection for this wide tract of Maya Forest land, which is a climate- and nature-critical ecosystem would have a tremendous impact on preserving the habitat of the iconic wildlife species, such as jaguars and ocelots, and saving an important living carbon reserve that offers a natural solution to climate change.

Protecting Belize Maya Forest Preserves Wildlife, Sequestered Carbon

Protecting this vast tract of land preserves huge amounts of sequestered carbon, which would be lost if deforestation continues while providing valuable benefits to biodiversity, the Rainforest Trust noted in a report.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Parrish, global managing director for nature protection at The Nature Conservancy said in a Good News Network report that such innovative and collaborative protection of nature is important not only for jaguars, but likewise for sustainable livelihoods, water security, and addressing the climate crisis.

Nature climate solutions include conservation, restoration, and improved land management programs that boost carbon storage or prevent greenhouse gas emissions in wetlands and landscapes around the world. Meshed with clean energy innovations and other initiatives to decarbonize the world, natural climate solutions provide key options in responding to climate change.

Belize Maya Rainforest, a Biodiversity Hotspot

Belize Maya Forest is considered a tropical biodiversity hotspot, with 200 species of trees, across the vast forest, wetlands, and savannah, and over 400 species of birds, with 100 of those bird species known as migratory.

According to a statement published in The Nature Conservancy website, partner groups behind the Belize Maya Forest conservation project include the International Tropical Conservation Fund, Mass Audubon, Rainforest Trust, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Nature Conservatory, and many more.

This massive forest tract is considered a linchpin for expansive conservation of the Mayan Forest, yet its future was uncertain for decades, said John Fitzpatrick, Cornell Lab of Ornithology director. He added that permanent protection of this vast tract of land gives out key connectivity and scale for saving the largest tropical ecosystem In Central America.

The US has also allied with Norwegian and British governments, private companies such as Nestle and Amazon to launch the Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF) Coalition, The Hill reported. They aim to pay countries with tropical rainforests, including the Belize Maya Forest, for emissions reduction to curb deforestation.