Nat'l Profiles
 
 
 
 
 
 

Population: 
249,183 (July 2000 est.) 
Land Space:
22,800 km2
Ocean Area:
160 km2
Coastline: 386 km 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 Belize
Belize flag

Country Contacts

Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
P.O. Box 1884
Belize City, Belize
Tel: 501-2-30719
Fax: 501-2-35738
Email: czmbze@btl.net
Website: http://www.coastalzonebelize.org

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives
2nd Floor, West Block Building,
Belmopan, Belize C.A.
Tel: 08-22241/22242
Fax: 08-22409
Website: http://www.belize.gov.bz/cabinet/d_silva/welcome.shtml

Coastal Treasures of Belize: http://www.belizenet.com/

Map of Belize
map courtesy of  the CIA Factbook

  • Resources:
Belize's coastal zone, which includes over 1000 cayes and 3 atolls is characterized by a rich diversity of coastal ecosystems. Coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, littoral forests, estuaries, and lagoons are found throughout  the 386 km of coastline,  the 19km territorial waters and the 322 km exclusive economic zone. Each of these ecosystems is host to a wide variety of marine species, of which the manatee, Morelet's crocodile, American salt water crocodile, three species of marine turtles and the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere are the most well-known.
  • Issues:
Rapid coastal development to support housing, tourism, fisheries, coastal agriculture and aquaculture have had a significant impact on Belize's marine resources. Further economic development will undoubtably promote Belize's dependency on coastal resources. In order to maintain these resources for future generations, Belize must promote sustanainable coastal activites as well as integrated coastal zone management.
 
  • National Capacity:
The government agency that is the authority on the environment is the Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute, which is established under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Co-operatives. At the close of a 1989 coastal zone management workshop in San Pedro, it was recognized that an  integrated approach to coastal zone management needed to be implemented. While progress was slow at first,  in 1993 the GEF/UNDP CZM Project, "Sustainable Development and Management of Biologically Diverse Coastal Resources" (http://www.undp.org/gef/write-up/bel-sust.htm) provided the necessary financial assistance the Authority needed. The Project also served to: (a) update and improve information on coastal resources to better inform decisionmakers, and (b) develop strong commitment in all sectors to environmentally sound development of coastal resources (GEF/ UNDP- Sustainable Development and Management of Biologically Diverse Coastal Resources, 1993).

The CZM Authority  is now an autonomous public statutory body which is mandated to implement and monitor Belize's coastal zone management and development policies.
.
The major functions of the Authority are: 

  •  Advise the Minister on all matters related to the coastal zone, and on the formation of policies;
  •  Assist in development of programmes and projects; 
  •  Foster regional and international collaboration;
  • Commission research and monitoring; 
  • In consultation with stakeholders, assist in preparation of development guidelines and review the CZM Plan prepared in accordance with the Act;
  • Maintain the national coral reef and coastal water quality monitoring programmes.
The Authority is currently engaged in 5 Programmatic areas:

1) Coastal Water Quality and Monitoring 
2) Manatee Research 
3) Coastal Planning 
4) Data Collection and Analysis 
5) Reef Monitoring 

  • National Prescriptions / Law:
Belize enacted a Coastal Zone Management Act in 1998. This Act formally established two management bodies, The CZM Authority and Institute and an Advisory Council. These institutions have been  tasked to prepare a coastral zone management plan, coordinate the efforts of government agencies and provide a forum for community input.

Belize Coastal Zone Management Act, Volume VII, Title XXXII, Chapter 329, Revised 2000

  • Cooperation:

    • Belize participates in the following Multilateral Agreements: 
    Biodiversity, 
    Climate Change, 
    Desertification, 
    Endangered Species, 
    Hazardous Wastes, 
    Law of the Sea, 
    Ozone Layer Protection, 
    Marine Dumping, 
    Ship Pollution, 
    Wetlands, 
    Whaling 

    Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements 
     

  • Pilot Projects:
Global Environmental Facility/Small Grants Programme: Nassau Grouper Research and Advocacy Project:
http://www.greenreefbelize.com
  • Protected areas:
The legislation that delineates the designation of  protected areas are the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Co-operatives,fisheries legislation or under the National Parks System Act and the Forest Ordinance. The Department of Fisheries and the Coastal Zone Management Unit has designated 22 marine protected areas as of 2000. Each of these areas is unique because of the many different habitats, biogeographic conditions and climatic conditions throughout the region. Currently, there are several proposed protected areas in the coastal zone under consideration. For more information on Belize's marine protected areas got to: http://www.belizenet.com.

For information on the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize's oldest marine reserve go to: http://www.holchanbelize.org/

  • Publications:
     "Hydrological and oceanographic considerations for integrated coastal zone management in southern Belize" by:
Heyman WD, Kjerfve B. 
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT   24: (2) 229-245 AUG 1999

"Coral reef management in Belize: an approach through Integrated Coastal Zone Management" by:
Gibson J, McField M, Wells S
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT 39: (3) 229-244 1998 

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