Belize: Advancing Ocean Accounting for Sustainable Development

Background and Objectives

Belize’s UNESCO World Heritage barrier reef is the largest in the northern hemisphere and the second largest globally. The complex marine systems surrounding Belize make it the perfect candidate for harnessing the power of ocean accounts to develop its sustainable ocean economy.

Belize has taken significant steps towards conservation and sustainable development, including:

• Adoption of the Belize Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Plan in 2016
• Establishment of the Ministry of Blue Economy in 2020
• Development of the national Blue Economy Development Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan (BEDPS) 2022-2027
• Belize’s first Maritime Economy Plan (MEP) in 2022
• The Medium-Term Development Strategy 2022-2026
• Launch of the historic Belize Blue Bonds in 2021

As part of these continuing efforts, Belize is now in the process of developing a comprehensive national marine spatial plan, known as the Belize Sustainable Ocean Plan (BSOP).

read Belize Ocean Accounts progress report 2025

The next step for Belize is to combine existing data into an integrated framework that can be used to inform decision-makers and produce indicators. Over the next two years, the Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management and the Statistical Institute of Belize, together with additional key stakeholders, will partner with GOAP to:

• Develop capacity in creating a robust framework for ocean accounting within Belize’s maritime area
• Create pilot ocean ecosystem accounts for the Ambergris Caye Reef, with a plan to expand nationwide
• Produce a national Ocean Tourism Satellite Account to provide insights into the contributions of the tourism sector

These activities are outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was signed by the Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management and the GOAP Secretariat on 6 November 2024.

The project is funded by the UK Government through the Overseas Development Assistance grant under the Blue Planet Fund.

Activities

5-7 November 2024 | Data Pathways and Visualization Tools Workshop | Belize

Immediately following the MOU signing, GOAP conducted a pivotal 3-day workshop that brought together 25+ participants from 10+ organisations including national ministries, government departments, research institutions, and environmental organizations dedicated to advancing sustainable ocean management.

This workshop focused on critical data considerations for developing Belize’s ocean accounts, including identifying necessary data, establishing storage and communication systems, and mapping out data-sharing channels among stakeholders. Participants engaged in discussions on enhancing data accessibility, standardising data collection practices, and exploring visualisation tools like dashboards and platforms to make ocean accounts data user-friendly and actionable.

The outcomes of this workshop laid the groundwork for a sustainable, collaborative ocean accounts framework, and informed the design and scope of the Ocean Accounts Fellows Program.

6 November 2024 | MOU Signing | Belize

The Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the GOAP Secretariat, marking a pivotal step towards developing robust ocean accounts for the sustainable management of Belize’s marine resources.

21 August 2024 | Inaugural Project Steering Committee Meeting | Belize

The Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management convened the first Project Steering Committee meeting for the pilot project: “Developing, Piloting, and Implementing Ocean Accounts for Belize”. The meeting was attended by ten organisations who agreed the scope of the project, implementation mechanisms and approaches.

15-17 August 2023 | Workshop: Ocean Accounting in Belize

The workshop united 20 diverse stakeholders, including government officials, experts in marine science and representatives from non-governmental organisations, to provide comprehensive training on ocean accounting and marine spatial planning.