Bio-diversity

The Sarteneja Fishermen Association (SFA) is a community-based membership organization, with a membership of over 110 artisanal fishermen, based from the fishing community of Sarteneja, in Corozal District. The SFA was registered on 19th September 2007, and seeks to provide alternatives for fishermen who wish to leave fishing, reducing the dependence of the community on the declining lobster and conch resources of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System - World Heritage Site. Sarteneja has long been recognized as one of the major impacting communities on the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site, an area of exceptional biodiversity threatened by overfishing. It is recognized at local, national and international level that the artisanal fishing industry is in decline, with too many fishermen seeking a declining and potentially unsustainable fisheries resource. With the majority of fishermen of Sarteneja leaving school at primary level, a lack of training in other skills, and poor agricultural soils, it is difficult for the fishermen to move away from their traditional livelihood as lobster, conch and finfish fishermen. Community consultations with the fishermen and other community members of Sarteneja have demonstrated a clear desire to develop alternative livelihoods in the local area. The SFA has identified pig farming as an alternative, and through assistance from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), has been able to consult with managers of national pig rearing facilities and BAHA as to the best methods and practices to employ in the context of this pilot project to provide a sustainability mechanism for the organization, and for the larger project being implemented by the SFA membership. The objective of this COMPACT project is to increase the capacity of the Sarteneja Fishermen Association to facilitate opportunities for alternative livelihoods for artisanal fishermen in Sarteneja. The project goal is to increase the capacity of the Sarteneja Fishermen Association to facilitate opportunities for alternative livelihoods for artisanal fishermen in Sarteneja. The intended outputs of this project are that by the end of this project: Output One: The members of the Sarteneja Fishermen Association develop the capacity to implement this project, the capacity as an organization to fulfill its short and long term objectives, and to be able to implement future projects Output Two: The SFA has the infrastructure to be able to fulfill its role within Sarteneja as representative of the local fishermen, and facilitate the development of alternative livelihoods, and an effective organization infrastructure, with an established office and office procedures. Output Three: The SFA has an established, professionally-run pilot pig rearing facility, providing a sustainability mechanism for the SFA and its future activities, and forming a model for the proposed expansion of similar small-scale pig rearing units for a number of groups of between four and six Sarteneja fishermen each, working cooperatively.

Belize