No Grants issued By PACT in Nearly 2 Years?

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust, PACT, was created to provide N.G.O.’s and conservation organizations in Belize with the necessary funds to keep the country’s natural resources safe and thriving. The fund has been in operation for thirty years, providing grants for the comanagers of Belize’s protected areas. However, according to the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations it has been nearly two years since any of its sixteen members have received a grant. At a press conference hosted by APAMO today, chairperson Amanda Acosta explained why it has been so long since the last grant and how this delay has affected the comanagers in the country.

 

Amanda Acosta, Chair, APAMO

“PACT hasn’t issued any funds in almost two years, just to be blunt about that one. No funding has been on the ground. They’ve had a transition process from the first CIS to the second CIS. And there has been no grants issued in that time frame. This is the time. This is where we’re saying we need to be part of the be part of the conversations. Again, the top-down approach is not a conducive environment for us. When we are putting in double the funding, when we are putting in significant staff and bodies. There needs to be an equal conversation and this is what we have been saying and the same goes for PACT. The PACT board was reconstituted in 2015. If that’s a conversation that we need to have, that is the conversation we need to have. Again, it is, again, a government majority. That naturally means that the agendas that are put on the table, the vote is a government majority. The board constitution needs to change. And I will say that the PACT. Is important money. It’s little money, but it’s important money in that. It’s about roughly four million that is issued per annum into the system four to five again, depending on tourism. That money can be used for essentials and for core and the legislation speaks to that. I don’t want to get into speculation as to the intent of. I don’t have any chair or any of the entities because I don’t know what is in their mind. What I can speak to is, like I said, what we know factually. The fact of the matter is there is no executive. They are in the process of hiring. They have changed the organogram, and they are in the process of hiring. Other than that, I think it would be speculation on my end to say where PACT is going. They are looking at issuing funds for fire relief. They are looking at CIS, but I think we would need to get it from, excuse the term, but from the House’s mouth.” We need to ask CEO directly what division or what his, as the chair, what is the vision there.”