The forest habitat protected through this project represents a critical missing piece of the 11 million-acre Selva Maya protected areas complex, safeguarding the largest intact forest in Central America, extending from Mexico through Guatemala and Belize and south into Honduras and beyond. Together with the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area (RBCMA), this conservation project is a critical part of the northernmost contiguous intact tropical forest in the Western Hemisphere and anchors the Mesoamerica Biological Corridor.

Rainforest Trust and our partner, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), are part of an extraordinary coalition of local and international conservation organizations working in partnership to safeguard a critical and pristine 260,000-acre tract of forest habitat, accounting for nearly 10% of the country’s land area. So far, 236,686 acres have been protected with another 23,313 in progress. This project requires our urgent attention, as Belize is experiencing a deforestation rate twice as high as other parts of Central America to clear land for large-scale agriculture and livestock operations.

The proposed protected area contains extensive hardwood (e.g., mahogany) and pine savannah forest cover types and is home to the healthiest and largest populations of jaguars and other native cats in Central America, including Ocelots and Margays. Populations of Central American River Turtle (CR), Yellow-headed Amazon (EN) and Yucatan Black Howler Monkey (EN) are also found here.

Stop deforestation due to large-scale agriculture

In Belize, the development of cattle, citrus, banana, and sugar cane plantations have escalated in recent years at the expense of the forests, and large-scale agriculture has quickly become a mainstay of the Belizean economy. We must act now to protect this important forest habitat before it is converted to livestock and feedstock agriculture.

Join our lasting solution

The size of the subject property and its central proximity to other key reserves, national parks, and protected areas that make up the greater Selva Maya has led to an unprecedented coalition of U.S. and international NGOs, foundations, and donors working together to acquire and protect this native forest in perpetuity.

The coalition includes: Rainforest Trust, University of Belize, Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education, Belize Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Wildlife Conservation, World Land Trust, International Tropical Conservation Fund, Belize Audubon Society, Mass Audubon, and others.