Ya’axche Conservation Trust has been empowering communities and conserving wildlife in Belize for 25 years. The Maya Golden Landscape (MGL) of southern Belize is the area of work. The MGL encompasses an area of 275,000ha. It forms a part of the Maya Mountain Massif and the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, critical for the maintenance of the area’s biodiversity.

Ya’axche faced the constant challenge of a lack of sustainable financing. This meant that Ya’axche would need to reduce its donor dependency and increase flexible revenue via innovative and sustainable ideas. As a result, Ya’axché instituted a sustainable finance mechanism for effective PA management through Ya’axché Institute for Conservation Education (YICE).  

Ya’axche has yet to achieve full financial sustainability. However, through YICE and its 2 revenue streams, Ecotourism Belize and the Nursery, 4 women’s groups have improved their livelihoods and 8%-10% of Ya’axche’s conservation work has been financed.