SATIIM’s work since 2001 has focused on biodiversity conservation and management of the Sarstoon Temash National Park through the Community Managed Sarstoon Temash Conservation (COMSTEC) project funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through the World Bank. Important achievements in park management include:
- Gathering baseline social, cultural and environmental data on the region for the first time through an innovative approach that combined expert scientific research with traditional ecological knowledge of local indigenous peoples, training some seventy-five community residents in research skills along the way. This information will be processed for a biodiversity monitoring database to trace changes over time and assess the efficacy of SATIIM’s conservation work.
- Producing a management plan for the STNP that combines interests of indigenous communities and the government, balancing the needs for conservation and sustainable resource use.
- Demarcation of the STNP for the first time, making a paper park come alive and creating the conditions for park protection and the reduction of illegal activities and incursions into the park. Demarcation involved the cutting of a line some twenty eight miles long through swamp and forest, work done again, by local communities in collaboration with professional surveyors.
- Hiring and training a park manager and ranger staff. Currently, four park rangers have been hired, all from buffer zone communities, and a park manager was hired for effective management. This will allow SATIIM to begin patrols of the park along with statutory authorities, to effectively reduce illegal activities in the park.
- Creation of a park visitor infrastructure. Buffer zone communities designed and built five buildings, called Resource Centres, which houses staff and equipment; provide a place for visitors to get information about the park, a meeting venue for community meetings and educational displays on wildlife, culture and the ecosystems represented in the park. The Sarstoon Temash National Park also has two newly constructed camping sites. The facilities were constructed by members of the community from both Conejo and Sunday Wood. We trust that these camping grounds will provide a safe place for the tourists to enjoy the rich flora and fauna of the national park.
- Creation of a functional Resource Extraction Committee. There are two zones in the STNP that allows controlled harvesting: the Multiple Use Zone and the Traditional (Indigenous) Use Zone. The Sarstoon Temash is the only national park within Belize that allows its buffer communities to extract resources from within its boundaries. The management plan, the first of its kind in Belize was endorsed by the Minister of Natural Resources Hon. John Briceño in 2005. After careful consultations with Community leaders an extraction species list was developed, the list was then reviewed by the Forestry Department. A committee was formed with representatives from SATIIM Staff (Park Manager/Technical Coordinator) and a Forest Officer (Officer In charge Machaca Office). The committee meets once a month to review applications for extraction from the park.
- Conducting regular patrols and law enforcement. The Sarstoon Temash National Park is equipped with four park wardens. All four rangers are from within the buffer Communities of the national park. The rangers carry out regular foot patrols of the boundary line to determine if illegal activities such as hunting, altering of signs, monitor wildlife, fishing and logging etc. are being conducted. These foot patrols are conducted within their respective villages. Also, regular patrols of the major rivers within the area are carried out as well. Riverine patrols are carried out jointly with the Belize Defense Force, Fisheries Department, Forestry Department and the Police Department.
- To be more effecting in carrying out patrols and performing their work, the Park manager and wardens have attended the necessary training and received Special Constable Status in September 2005. After completion of the training they were classified as Special Constables and have the powers of arrest within their area of work.
- Para Biological Monitoring data collection. SATIIM’s rangers were trained and commenced data collection since March 2005. Species Monitored are:
- Birds
- Reptiles
- Species that were selected turned out to be species that were economically important to the communities (game species)
