Volunteers from all over the world help us in implementing the conservation activities of our program: look for sea turtle nests to protect the eggs from poachers, maintenance of the hatchery, support in our environmental education program, analysing research data that we are constantly generating, and helping in the rehabilitation of species we received at the center.

Collaborative data and information gathering was used to: identify and acquire secondary information; document local knowledge of resources and space-use; develop an appropriate habitat classification scheme; conduct marine habitat mapping field surveys; validate information produced; and ascertain the technological capacity and information preferences of stakeholders. Furthermore, participatory research demonstrates the relevance of information provided by stakeholders, strengthens capacity and provides ownership of the information produced.

Supporting women from fishing communities to create, market and sell jewelry made from previously discarded lionfish parts adds value to fishers’ lionfish catch. It also meets several needs simultaneously: poverty alleviation in fishing communities, gender equality as women learn skills and are supported to earn independently, and further awareness raising about invasive lionfish, thus contributing to the conservation of Belize’s marine ecosystem.

Other potential lionfish value-added product markets include lionfish burgers, frozen fillets for sale through supermarkets and animal feed. Further benefit to fishing communities could be achieved through establishing lionfish processing plants within the communities themselves, increasing the availability of skilled employment opportunities and providing new skills for local community members.

Synthesis ensures that the outputs of your ecosystem services analysis directly inform on-the-ground planning and policies. Here we illustrate how different scenarios of human uses in the coastal zone affect livelihoods and the benefit that people derive from nature. This includes identifying where particular ecosystem service incentives and government policies could be implemented to support a sustainable plan for the future. The goal is to maximize economic opportunities and minimize environmental degradation. The Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute used a variety of mediums to communicate results, including reports, executive summaries, peer-reviewed papers, presentations and interactive maps all tailored to intended audiences.

The community engagement and behavior adoption campaigns were co-developed and implemented by teams based in the communities.  They were usually composed of staff from the local government unit and local community leaders, like fisher leaders or organizers.  They were the ones that received the training and provided with the tools and resources.  They adapted the strategies to suit their own context, came up with execution ideas, and rolled out the activities.

Members of the Farmer Interest Groups are trained how to implement the Best Management Practices by the extension center. The training is partly theoretical and partly practical, and farmers involved in the development phase open their farm to Farmer Interest Group members so they gather first-hand experience. The extension center promotes Best Management Practices by disseminating information further through the extension officer’s daily advisory service. At the same time experiences and lessons learnt are fed back to the extension center to improve the Best Management Practices.