By Zoila Palma: The CORE Gender Smart Facility (GSF), implemented by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), was officially launched on March 25, representing a significant advancement in promoting gender-responsive conservation and strengthening climate resilience across Belize.
PACT said that this facility is designed to support initiatives that integrate gender equity into conservation and climate action. It is grounded in the recognition that sustainable environmental solutions are most effective when they are inclusive, participatory, and driven by the communities they serve.
“This is a great milestone for us–for PACT, for Belize, for conservation, for sustainable development,” said Abil Castañeda, Executive Director of PACT. “We must continue to focus on people–put people at the forefront of what we do in conservation, in sustainable development. This program does that. It’s putting people –the resilience of people, the leadership of people, the empowerment of people– first.”
Following a comprehensive technical review and a collaborative applicant support process, PACT has approved its first cohort of projects under the GSF. These initiatives span terrestrial, marine, watershed, cultural, and livelihood-based interventions rooted in nature-based and ecosystem-based adaptation approaches. Each project demonstrates strong integration of gender considerations, environmental safeguards, and robust monitoring and evaluation systems.
The approved projects include:
Belize Women’s Seaweed Farmers Association (BZ$150,000.00): Advancing climate-resilient mariculture, improving marine safety practices, and strengthening women-led governance to enhance livelihoods and ecosystem health.
Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic (BZ$149,970.00): Addressing human–wildlife conflict through community education, the development of women and youth wildlife stewards, and strengthened reporting mechanisms.
Community Baboon Sanctuary Women’s Conservation Group (BZ$147,537.20): Promoting food security and climate resilience through women-led agro-ecology and climate-smart agricultural practices.
Home of Indigenous Arts Belize Limited (BZ$145,000.00): Supporting sustainable cultural enterprises through youth apprenticeships, the preservation of Indigenous knowledge, and women-led governance structures.
Ya’axché Conservation Trust (BZ$149,669.00): Strengthening watershed resilience through riparian restoration, documentation of Indigenous ecological knowledge, and women-led river monitoring initiatives.
PACT noted that all projects are expected to enhance livelihoods, improve ecosystem integrity, and elevate women as leaders and decision-makers in conservation and climate resilience efforts.
“The focus is to improve participation for women and girls but also to ensure gender equity, as we cannot forget the men,” explained Nayari Diaz-Perez, Technical Officer, CORE Project. “Creating that balance where the participation of women, men, girls, and boys is integrated into the activities that we do at the local level is the driving force of the facility.”
The Gender Smart Facility (GSF) is a regional grant mechanism of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), co-financed by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). It addresses critical funding gaps for civil society and community-based organizations advancing inclusive, gender-responsive nature-based climate solutions throughout the Caribbean.
“CORE recognizes that effective climate resilience is not only about ecosystems; it is also about people, roles and relationships, and ensuring that all communities can meaningfully participate in and benefit from climate solutions,” shared Ena Cimic, CORE Project Lead at Global Affairs Canada.
The post CORE Gender Smart Facility launched to advance inclusive conservation in Belize appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: The CORE Gender Smart Facility (GSF), implemented by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), was officially launched on March 25, representing a significant advancement in promoting gender-responsive conservation and strengthening climate resilience across Belize. PACT said that this facility is designed to support initiatives that integrate gender equity into conservation and climate
The post CORE Gender Smart Facility launched to advance inclusive conservation in Belize appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.