The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF) has been honored with the Outstanding Community Engagement Award under the UK–Belize Climate & Nature Legacy Awards, a prestigious initiative funded by the UK’s Climate & Nature Diplomacy Fund (CNDF) and delivered by the British High Commission – Belmopan. The awards reinforce the United Kingdom’s commitment to fostering enduring environmental partnerships and recognizing projects that demonstrate measurable impact, innovation, and strong community leadership in advancing climate resilience and nature protection.
In accepting the award for WCS, Belize Country Director, Nicole Auil Gomez said:
“This award reflects the collaboration, adaptability, and trust built with communities at the heart of the BLF project. We thank the UK Government, through DEFRA, and the British High Commission Belize for supporting and recognizing climate and nature work across Belize.”
Nominations were sourced internally from multiple expert teams, ensuring a diverse and representative pool of candidates. This process drew on professionals with direct knowledge of program performance, community outcomes, and policy relevance. Each nominated project underwent an independent evaluation using a category-specific scoring matrix developed by Climate, Environment and Energy Officer for Belize and the Caribbean, Ms. Zana Kristen Wade. The final awardees were formally endorsed by the British High Commission to Belize, including British High Commissioner Alistair White and Program Officer Mellissa Rivero, ensuring that selections reflected both technical excellence and strategic significance for UK–Belize cooperation.
The Outstanding Community Engagement Award recognizes exceptional efforts to mobilize communities and inspire lasting climate and nature action. BLF received this honor for its project, Community-Led Climate-Smart Development Across the Selva Maya & Maya Forest Corridor, which has engaged communities across Belize and the wider Mesoamerican region in climate-smart planning, regenerative agriculture, and wildfire preparedness. The program demonstrates strong community ownership, meaningful inclusion of Indigenous groups, and measurable progress toward sustainable natural resource management.
Through its implementation, the project has delivered one of the region’s most impactful community empowerment initiatives, strengthening local capacity to adapt to climate change while protecting critical forest ecosystems and biodiversity corridors.
Key Achievements
- Supported five community climate-smart development plans
- Trained and equipped 27 Belizean rangers with specialized conservation and wildfire management skills in 2025
- Strengthened Indigenous and community forest management through conservation agreements and corridor protection
- Advanced regenerative agriculture through agroforestry plots, covered growing structures, and organic fertilizer training
- Distributed cacao planting materials and established nurseries benefiting families across Maya communities
These achievements highlight the transformative role of community-led action in building climate resilience, safeguarding biodiversity, and supporting sustainable livelihoods.
