World Wildlife Fund

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) of Belize

Colombia River Forest Reserve in Belize
© WWF-Canon / Anthony B. Rath

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) is a revolving trust fund dedicated to the sustainable management and conservation of Belize's protected areas. In collaboration with local conservation groups, WWF helped to conceive, design, and implement the trust. WWF and local partners worked to establish support from the government of Belize, to ensure that revenue raised for PACT would be earmarked to supplement, and not reduce, government expenditures for environmental protection.

The revenues for PACT derive from a conservation fee of $3.75 charged to all foreign tourists in Belize. The fee is collected either at the airport or on cruise ships, and is paid at the same time as the mandatory departure tax (although the fee and tax remain separate). The fund also receives revenue from a 20 percent commission on recreation-related license fees and concession fees in public protected areas.

During Belize's 2001 fiscal year, these fees generated more than $700,000 for the Protected Areas Conservation Trust. Since its inception in 1996, PACT has financed over 30 projects to support protected area management and conservation. Financed entirely from in-country revenue rather than external sources, PACT is a successful model of sustainable conservation finance that not only supports the protection of biodiversity but contributes to the economic growth of a developing country.