Conserving 240,000 acres of natural forest

In 2020, we connected with The Nature Conservancy to touch-base on two key private forest parcels that were rumored to be coming available in Belize. Over the next 12 months, more than a dozen organizations - including ClimatePath and our International Tropical Conservation Fund - came together to ask "How might we work together to protect this forest land in perpetuity?" In mid 2021, the new Belize Maya Forest protected area was acquired, and will be added to the Selva Maya conservation area - the largest remaining tropical forests in the Americas outside of the Amazon. This new 240,000 acre protected area is contiguous with and nearly doubles the size of the adjacent Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area, together representing 9% of the landmass of Belize. It helps secure a vital wildlife corridor in Central America’s dwindling forests, and will sequester as much as one million tons/year of carbon.

More and more, driving impact requires large-scale collaboration and partnership. What’s exciting about the Maya Forest Project is not just the impact it will have on endangered species and climate. But also demonstrating what collective and collaborative efforts can accomplish. So thanks to the Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Trust, World Land Trust, Wyss Foundation, The Bobolink Foundation, Global Wildlife Conservation, The Government of Belize, and the many other organizations and individuals (you know who you are!) involved in guiding this effort.

It is exciting to see so much collaborative commitment emerging to save forests, as well as reduce plastics and toxins, cut emissions, and pursue other ecological and social goals. New groups, partnerships, and pre-competitive collaborations are popping up faster than I can keep track of. But now the challenge is shifting - especially in the corporate/NGO sectors - from motivating action to managing collective commitments and partnerships for results.

Read more about the project here.