PACT Awards BZ$3.2 Million in New Climate Resilience Grants

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) has awarded an additional BZ$3.2 million in grants to strengthen climate resilience in Belizean communities, expanding its flagship Building Community Resilience via Transformative Adaptation Project (EDA Project).

The new funding will support four subprojects aimed at protecting natural resources, reducing disaster risks, and improving emergency response. Over the next five years, the projects are expected to benefit more than 48,000 people across 15 communities.

The first subproject will safeguard forest and water resources in the Macal and Mopan River watersheds through community engagement. It will be led by the National Biodiversity Office in partnership with the Forest Department with funding of BZ$1.59 million over 36 months. The second project will strengthen the Ladyville Fire Station’s response capacity for climate-resilient communities, implemented in partnership with the Ladyville Village Council with a budget of BZ$492,653 over 24 months. The third will focus on enhancing community resilience through fire management in Central Belize, led by the Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Center, with funding of BZ$448,505 over 30 months. The fourth subproject will address flood disaster mitigation and management in Orange Walk and Toledo Districts, led by the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government, with BZ$738,537 allocated over 18 months.

These initiatives build on four earlier subprojects funded in February 2025 and currently being implemented by the Belmopan City Council, Sarteneja Village Council, Belize Forest Department, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and BELTRAIDE. Together, all eight subprojects represent a BZ$10 million investment in climate resilience, targeting five key components: safeguarding forests and water resources, combating wildfires, supporting alternative livelihoods, building national capacity to access adaptation finance, and strengthening community disaster risk management.