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Written by CTV3 Publisher Sunday, 05 February 2012 02:42

Economy

The mission of the Protected Area Conservation Trust, PACT, is to contribute to the sustainable management and development of Belize’s natural and cultural heritage. One method that the NGO employs in order to carry out its goal is to provide effective funding support to environmentalist groups. This past Tuesday the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development Organization received a grant from PACT. Our News team traveled to Sarteneja and spoke to members of the organization who told us more about the project they are engaged in.

Hipolito Novelo-Reporting

And so with all documents properly signed, it was official. The Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development were awarded a little over twenty nine thousand dollars for their project titled “Pro-active Management Tragedy” for the Corozal Bay wildlife Sanctuary.

Chief Coordinator for SACD, Joel Verde, told us that the aim of the group is to improve the quality of life of residents of Sarteneja through the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Joel Verde, Excutive Coordinator SACD

“Basically, we are an NGO as any in Belize that is guided through specific program areas like natural resource management, education and outreach, sustainable development and of course research and monitoring one of the areas that is basically address in the project we will talking about funded through PACT.  This message about the sustainable use of our natural resources is not just about SACD wants to take fishermen out of the water, taking away their resource but it is more about teaching them and educating them exactly what we are promoting, we are promoting a sustainable use of the resources and that implicate that we are working with the fishermen to have a sustainable fishery for example one of the resources that is extractive is fish source from the bay.”

But for PACT the work has just began because according to the organizations Senior Grant Officer, Nayari Diaz, SACD will be closely monitored in order to ensure that the money is invested properly.

Nayari Diaz, Senior Grant Officer PACT

“We have a very robust manager and evaluation system for our grants in terms on financial accountability we have a pace disbursement process whereby you will get the first disbursement and we have to submit financial reports and progress report after which those are approved then they’ll get the other disbursement, in terms of monitoring that the objectives has been achieved we do periodic monitoring, and this is a one year project so throughout the year will be doing constant field visits and meetings with them to ensure that the objectives of the projects are being met.”

Nayari Diaz, Senior Grant Officer PACT

“This will assist the alliance not only in establishing strategies to combat the impact of climate change but also it will assist in other management activities they carry out for the protective area.”

Verde also made mention that apart from studying the quality of water; their aim is to conserve the country’s natural resources.

The Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development organization is only one of the five groups that will awarded financial assistance by PACT. The others include the Community Baboob Sanctuary in the Belize River Valley, the Yakshey Conservation Trust in Toledo, the Friends for Conservation and Development in the Chiquibul Area and the Southern Environment Association in Placencia. 

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