Mesoamerica’s Selva Maya, the epicenter of the ancient Maya Civilization and a vast protected area system covering parts of Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico, is making an inspiring comeback with forest cover returning and local people benefitting thanks to government, local partners and communities working together to curb illegal activities.

WCS welcomed the decision by the UNESCO-World Heritage Committee to remove the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from the “List of World Heritage in Danger.”

May 17, 2017 – Recent WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) Queens Zoo surveys of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra), translocated to Belize’s Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 25 years ago reveal that the effort has been a great success, with monkeys now thriving throughout the reserve after going locally extinct 40 years ago.

November 29, 2016—A new generation of threatened hawksbill sea turtles is thriving in the protected waters of Glover’s Reef Atoll, Belize, evidence that efforts to protect these and other marine species in one of the world’s great barrier reef systems are working, according to WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and the Belize Fisheries Department. 

 June 15, 2016 -- This week Belize becomes the first country in the world to adopt a national, multispecies secure fishing rights program for all of its small-scale fisheries.

January 8, 2016 – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has appointed WCS’s Janet Gibson as a member to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contribution to environmental protection.