The Maya Golden Landscape communities directly depend on ecosystem services provided by healthy forests and rivers. These services, which are threatened by climate change, illegal logging, hunting and unsustainable agriculture and development, would be severely degraded without the effective management of wild places. Clean air, water, medicine, and food provided by nature are maintained for future generations through our work.
PROTECTING WILD PLACES
Healthy forests and rivers are the foundation of a healthy society
PROTECTING VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
OUR APPROACH
Ya’axché has been advancing protected areas management in the Maya Golden Landscape since 1998. We employ innovative approaches of raising awareness on the rules, regulations and laws that protect the integrity of ecosystem services. The aim is to foster voluntary compliance of laws, collaborating with national and international compliance agencies and adopting the use of technology and science to aid in the process. We have a highly skilled team that patrols the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve, Bladen Nature Reserve and Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve. Additionally, our team collects information on illegal activities, biodiversity, water quality and wildfire within these three protected areas. Ya’axché works hand in hand with the Government of Belize to ensure the proper management to protect the biodiversity found within.
Golden Stream Corridor Preserve (GSCP)
Critical remaining link in the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
Bladen Nature Reserve (BNR)
100,000 acre “Crown Jewel “of Belize’s National Protected Areas System.
Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve (MMNFR)
36,000 acre site of Belize’s first community agroforestry concession.
TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTING SOUND CONSERVATION DECISIONS
Ya’axché is committed to utilizing science and technology to make decisions for achieving well managed protected areas, within the Maya Golden Landscape. Our team is well training to continue the implementation of innovative technology such as SMART and drones to collect data in remote and tough terrain. As we improve our enforcement efforts and guide strategies for compliance, we keep an eye out for land use changes within and around communities.
Research & Monitoring
Land Usechange
Compliance
OUR IMPACT
The effective management of our three protected areas, supports the function of the Southern Biological Corridor and buffering communities. Effective management provides protection for ecosystem services for the surrounding communities and a safe passage for threatened wildlife. We are developing and implementing practical management plans, which genuinely include surrounding communities. An example of innovative protected area management is the creation of a community agroforestry concession where farmers are growing cacao under the forests of the Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve. It has allowed for restoration of damaged forests, decreased forest loss and home for a healthy population of wildlife.
151,000 acres of forest protected
37 GLOBALLY THREATENED SPECIES PROTECTED
OVER 3,000 MILES PATROLLED ANNUALLY BY RANGERS
OVER 65% OF BELIZE’S BIRD SPECIES PROTECTED IN THE MGL
8 YEARS OF BASELINE DATA TO HELP ANALYZE TRENDS IN FOREST HEALTH
BLADEN NATURE RESERVE HAS THE HIGHEST PLANT DIVERSITY IN CENTRAL AMERICA
18 ENDEMIC SPECIES PROTECTED
BELIZE’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE LONG TERM BIODIVERSITY MONITORING
35 YEARS OF LAND-USE DATA FOR THE MAYA GOLDEN LANDSCAPE