UK Awards Grant to MarAlliance for Mangrove Conservation in Belize

The United Kingdom, through its Sustainable Blue Economies Programme’s Blue Social Challenge Fund (BSCF), has awarded a grant of £99,191 (approximately BZD 250,000) to MarAlliance for a new conservation initiative, “Mangrove Habitat for Juvenile Fish Recruitment: Building Local Knowledge and Capacity.” The project aims to strengthen local knowledge and capacity in mangrove conservation, reinforcing the UK’s commitment to safeguarding vital ocean resources in the Caribbean.

The BSCF is designed to support Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Belize by enhancing resilience to climate change and economic shocks. The fund promotes better ocean management, poverty reduction, and the use of nature-based solutions to strengthen coastal livelihoods.

British High Commissioner to Belize, Christine Rowlands, stressed the project’s significance, stating, “By funding this project, we are supporting work that enables local communities and fishers to contribute data needed for the sustainable management of Belize’s beautiful mangrove forests and juvenile fishes. This in turn contributes to improved livelihoods of fishers, sustainable fisheries, and builds climate resilience of coastal communities. This is the purpose of BSCF: to support vulnerable communities working together to address the adverse impacts of climate change on their livelihoods, and we are happy to work with MarAlliance on this initiative.”

Dr. Rachel Graham, Founder and Executive Director of MarAlliance, highlighted the project’s impact, “Our mangrove based fisheries work illuminates the critical role of these ecosystems as vital nursery habitats, bridging scientific inquiry and community knowledge to quantify and protect juvenile fish populations. With profound gratitude to the British High Commission, MarAlliance is transforming local fishing insights into evidence-based strategies that support small-scale fishers adapting to unprecedented environmental challenges along Belize’s vulnerable coastal shorelines.”

A key component of the initiative is its participatory approach, involving fishers and coastal communities in scientific research. By equipping local stakeholders with conservation training, the project seeks to align community practices with national fisheries objectives.

The findings will be compiled into a publicly accessible scientific report detailing the contributions of mangroves to biodiversity and fisheries productivity. Mangrove ecosystems play a crucial role in stabilising Belize’s coastline, sequestering carbon, and serving as essential nursery habitats for juvenile fish. However, significant mangrove loss over the past two decades has threatened marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of those dependent on sustainable fisheries.

This project will fill critical knowledge gaps by assessing how mangroves contribute to fish population recruitment.