Welcome to the first edition of the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary newsletter– Monkey Business!
There’s always something happening at Monkey Bay, and we wanted a better way to share it with you. Through this monthly newsletter, we’ll bring you updates from around the sanctuary, stories from the field, community projects, wildlife encounters, and a look behind the scenes at the work of our programs, partners, staff, students, and volunteers.
From the Sanctuary
Newest ATV!
August marked the completion of our BNCF funded project, “Increase Management Effectiveness of the Monkey Bay National Park through Strategic Actions under MBWS’ Protected Areas Management Program”. Under this project we’ve acquired a second ATV and helmets to increase mobility and response capacity for our ranger team. We also hired our Environmental Education and Community Outreach Officer (EECO), who has been working closely with our buffering communities and newly established youth group network. Support from BNCF has helped strengthen our ability to manage the natural resources within our protected area while encouraging a greater sense of ownership among our buffer communities.
We’ve spoken about this several times on our social media platforms, but we can’t go without mentioning our newly completed Nursery! Di Wild Nursery was made possible through the Conservation Investment Strategy (CIS) grant managed by PACT, our dedicated facilities department, our rangers, and the kids who helped to plant the first seedlings! Our TCMS interns also pitched in on their last day in Belize, working on signs, organizing seedlings by species and planting the last seeds left over from this bunch. We now have almost 400 seeds planted, with many of them already sprouting. Species include Mahogany, wild fig, bribri (inga), Ramon or Breadnut, Soap nut, ceiba, golden shower, guanacaste, and wild tamarind. The nursery is being sustained to support our reforestation efforts and community greening in the coming year.
If you would like to donate seeds or saplings to us, please reach out to our front desk or EECO.
Those of you who have been keeping up with us or participating in our Management Plan workshops may already know that we recently hosted the fourth and final Community Consultation Workshop in the development of the Monkey Bay National Park Management Plan.
Stakeholder at Workshop 4: Management Plan Validation
The final session focused on Management Plan Validation, giving stakeholders the opportunity to review the first draft and provide feedback on its proposed goals and objectives. Representatives from our buffer communities and conservation partners across the Maya Forest Corridor contributed their perspectives to help ensure the plan reflects the priorities and needs of those connected to the area.
We would like to thank praxi5 and the team for their work throughout this process, from gathering and analyzing stakeholder input to developing the Management Plan and identifying key areas of interest. We also extend our thanks to all the stakeholder representatives and conservation partners who contributed their time and input throughout the consultation process.
Community and Outreach
Our EECO stayed busy this month, spending three weeks hosting summer camps in La Democracia, St. Matthew’s, and Frank’s Eddy, following the start of our Summer Environmental Education Program in Mahogany Heights in July.
Each camp was shaped around the interests of the community, helping us identify areas where future outreach activities can strengthen the connection between people and the environment. Throughout the camps, participants explored a range of topics and hands-on activities. They learned about the Sustainable Development Goals and how these goals are (or could be) reflected in their own communities, built nesting boxes for our Parrot Program, planted seeds for our nursery, and learned more about their place within the Maya Forest Corridor. Altogether, this summer’s program reached 94 kids and teens across four communities.
Youth Group Representatives at the APAMO Youth Engagement Event
Following the summer camps, APAMO invited us to take our representatives from the youth group to the 2026 APAMO Youth Engagement Event in Mayflower Bocawina National Park. Kids from St. Matthew’s, La Democracia and Mahogany Heights headed down south for a day filled with educational and competitive activities.
And with school just around the corner, we were able to donate 10 school bags and school supplies to the Mahogany Heights Youths for Christ youth group. A special thanks to Ms Raquel for reaching out to us and requesting donations, and to our Programming department whose work helps to fund outreach like this.
From the Field
We’re proud to onboard our new Chief Ranger, Eric Max. With years of experience from working with Friends for Conservation and Development, Max will surely bring the leadership and motivation to strengthen our ranger team and increase patrol effectiveness in the Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. Together with our long time ranger, Vince, the team has already begun opening more trails within the Wildlife Sanctuary, and increased overnight patrols in the national park.
Until Next Time
That’s a wrap on August! Thank you to everyone who contributed to another busy month at Monkey Bay, from our staff and partners to the communities, students, volunteers, and supporters who make this work possible.
We’ll be back next month with more updates from the sanctuary, the field, and our communities. In the meantime, follow us on social media to keep up with what’s happening at Monkey Bay.
Want to get involved? Whether it’s donating seeds or saplings to Di Wild Nursery, volunteering your time, supporting one of our programs, or simply sharing our work, there are plenty of ways to be part of what we do. Reach out to us to learn more.