Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE)

The Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) was established in 1997 by concerned community members to combat illegal fishing and illegal harvesting of the West Indian Manatee. TIDE has grown to manage four Protected Areas and employs over 35 full time staff and many community stakeholders. TIDE hopes to continue to advance community participation in conservation for the benefit of all Belizeans and the region as a whole.

Maya Mountain Marine Corridor TIDE’s work focuses on the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor of southern Belize, which encompasses the Port Honduras Marine Reserve and the six watersheds that drain into it. This 830,000-acre ridge-to-reef landscape stretches from the Maya Mountains in the West to the coral reefs of the Snake Cayes in the East.

Payne's Creek National Park The Payne’s Creek National Park comprises 38,000 acres with multiple habitats such as Pine Savannah, Grasslands, Estuarine Lagoons, Mangrove Forests and Broadleaf Forests. It hosts endangered species such as the Jaguar, West Indian Manatee and the Yellow-Headed Parrot.

Port Honduras Marine Reserve An integral part of the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor, the PHMR encompasses an array of vital habitats, with inshore, patch and fringing reefs, seagrass beds and 138 mangrove cayes, supporting an important fishery for local traditional users.

Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve is the most southern of the marine protected areas in Belize, and encompasses the southernmost tip of the Belize Barrier Reef. The reserve covers an area of 321,623.5 acres (approximately 130,156 ha) and contains fourteen palm-fringed sand or mangrove cayes, fringe reefs, natural lagoons, and key spawning aggregation sites (SPAGs).

TIDE Private Protected Lands Currently, TIDE manages 20,488 acres of private lands, strategically located within the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor. Some of these TIDE Private Protected Lands (TPPL) were purchased as part of the ‘Debt for Nature Swap’ agreement between the governments of Belize and the USA. The ‘Debt for Nature Swap’ allowed Belize to swap certain debts they had to the USA in exchange for funding forest conservation activities in Belize. The TPPL are managed under the Tropical Forest Conservation Agreement.

Program Areas:

• Research and Monitoring
• Education and Outreach
• Community Development
• Resource Protection

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