Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (MBWS)

MBWS is a model Private Protected Area that supports and safeguards landscape connectivity, ecosystem services, and socioeconomic benefits for present and future generations.

History

Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (MBWS) was recognized by the Minister of Tourism and the Environment, Hon. Glen Godfrey, as a Private Protected Area (PPA) on Earth Day, April 22, 1990. A PPA’s purpose is “to complement the national lands through provision of connectivity, priority species protection, and improved ecosystem representation” with permitted activities such as research, education, tourism, and sustainable extraction (GOB, 2005; revised 2015). MBWS is one of eight PPAs listed under the National Protected Areas System (NPAS) that is recognized by the Forest Department.

After the PPA recognition, MBWS developed a Belize Study Abroad program catered to environmental education and training and host local and international student groups. In 2015, MBWS became registered as a non-government organization (NGO) with a primary mission to provide environmental education field programs to generate revenue needed to support and manage the Sanctuary. Before the Maya Forest Corridor (MFC) was recognized by the Government of Belize (GOB) in 2019, MBWS partnered with local and international organizations and authorities to form the MFC Coalition. The MFC Coalition aims to secure and conserve the MFC in perpetuity through habitat protection. Therefore, in 2020, MBWS’s mission changed to reflect an emphasis on the management and conservation priorities of the Sanctuary and the surrounding landscape, aligning their mission with those of the MFC Coalition.

Purpose

“to complement the national lands through provision of connectivity, priority species protection, and improved ecosystem representation”

MBWS Management Plan 2022-2027