About Belize Audubon Society

Vision

The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) will be a strategic leader in building a nation in which people in Belize live in harmony with and benefit from the environment.

Mission

The Belize Audubon Society is a non-governmental membership organization dedicated to the sustainable management of our natural resources through leadership and strategic partnerships with stakeholders in order to create a balance between people and the environment.

History

Since its formation in 1969 BAS has been Belize's foremost environmental organization protecting Belize's precious natural resources while educating the public about their value and sustainable use. BAS has grown from an all-volunteer organization with 55 charter members to a Society of over 1200 members with a staff of more than 42.

At the request of the Government of Belize (GOB), BAS has been instrumental in the management, development and financing of protected areas that have been designated under the National Parks System Act of 1981. Currently BAS manages nine of Belize's protected areas with a well-trained, knowledgeable staff, with the field being mostly from the surrounding buffer communities. Environmental education and advocacy activities focus primarily on these protected areas and their buffer communities.

Who Are We?

The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) is a non-governmental membership organization dedicated to the sustainable management of natural resources through leadership and strategic partnerships with stakeholders in order to create a balance between people and the environment.

Formed in 1969 as a foreign chapter of the Florida Audubon Society, BAS became an independent organization in 1973.

While the name "Audubon" suggests bird watchers, the Society is interested in all aspects of our natural heritage and is dedicated to the preservation of the wildlife and natural resources of Belize. It aims to promote appreciation of the beauty and diversity of nature, particularly in young people, by providing environmental education. Making people aware of the value of conservation is one of the Society's prime aims and objectives.

What Do We Do?

Currently BAS works in collaboration with the Forest Department (GoB) to manage nine of Belize's protected areas, covering an area over 162,000 acres. Under an agreement with the Forest Department (GoB), BAS manages the following protected areas:

Our Advocacy and Education programmes focus on protecting the integrity of these areas by analyzing and influencing policy, and educating the people who now, and in the future, will impact the parks. We work closely with the communities that surround the protected area - recognizing that their cooperation and input is essential to our work.

What Are Some Of Our Accomplishments?

• Oldest, largest environmental conservation organization in Belize.

• Successfully lobbied GoB to declare the first protected area - Half Moon Caye Natural Monument under the National Parks System Act of 1981.

• The first environmental NGO in Belize that is manages the largest area of public lands as protected reserves.

• Foremost provider of meaningful and relevant environmental education in the early 1970s on a national scale.

• Advocate for meaningful changes in policy regarding national resource management.

• The first NGO to sign a co-management agreement with GoB in 1984.