Mass Audubon & Belize

Xunantunich © David Shaffer

Through our Belize Conservation Fund, Mass Audubon provides important financial support for conservation work in Belize. Our commitment is driven by our resolve to preserve habitat for Massachusetts birds that migrate through or spend the winter in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Basin.

Belize is one of the most biologically diverse nations in the world. Over 90 percent of the country is still forested. There are 20 national parks and forest reserves, nine marine reserves, a dozen natural monuments and archaeological reserves, as well as a handful of extensive private protected areas.

Mass Audubon's first involvement in 1984 was to provide funding for the Belize Audubon Society to encourage the creation of a first-class park system, more actively manage the existing parks, develop conservation education programs, and step up advocacy related to emerging environmental concerns.

Since then, Mass Audubon:

• Helped launch Programme for Belize (PfB) that now holds title to over 260,000 acres of land.
• Forged a relationship with the Toledo Institute of Development and Environment (TIDE) to help protect the 1 million acre Maya Mountain Marine Corridor.
• Helped train local naturalists and educators through our Certificate Program in Bird Ecology in Belize.

To help support these efforts, donate to the Belize Conservation Fund today.

Interesting Facts about Belize

Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea between Guatemala and Mexico
Population: 315,000
Size: 8,867 square miles (slightly smaller than Massachusetts)
Birds: 65 percent of Massachusetts bird species winter in Central America, many in Belize