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Report
South - South Exchange
Cuba and Belize
GEF Small Grants Programme
Prepared by: Leonel Requena, National Coordinator, GEF SGP – Belize & Fabio
Fajardo, National Coordinator, GEF SGP -Cuba
July 26th- 2nd August, 2017
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Summary:
The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) in Belize, Cuba and
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a South-South
exchange on 26th July – 2nd August 2017. The GEF SGP Cuba received the Sustainable
Development Award in 2016 and proceeded to use the award to support the south -
south exchange to Belize. The delegation from Cuba included the GEF SGP National
Coordinator, Mr. Fabio Fajardo, Dr. Angel Quiroz, Fisheries Specialist, Mr. Noel Morales,
Sponge Cultivation Expert and Mr. Maisel Miranda, Sponge cultivation assistant.
This south - south exchange fostered knowledge sharing on seascape experiences,
innovative techniques towards promoting and securing sustainable fisheries such as
Managed Access in Belize. Furthermore, this exchange allowed for demonstration of
SGP`s supported community eco-tourism model and projects which provided valuable
interchange of knowledge and experience for the SGP programme in Cuba as the
programme seeks to promote community-tourism based initiative through its
programming interventions in OP6 and beyond.
Illustrative South-South Exchange details:
The National Coordinator and Programme Assistant in Belize coordinated the in-country
exchanges with a visit to Halfmoon Caye Natural Monument and the Blue Hole Natural
Monument in partnership with the Belize Audubon Society, Belize Fisheries Department
and Belize Coast Guard. A boat to boat strategy was implemented during the field mission
to foster civil society and government dialogue regarding sustainable fisheries –
Managed Access which is funded through an ongoing GEF SGP project. Three National
Steering Committee Members accompanied the visit to Halfmoon Caye Natural
Monument.
Pic 1: Innovative Boat to Boat Strategy crucial to replicate, scale-up and mainstream
Managed Access.
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Pic2: Vessel procured for the Belize Audubon Society
In Placencia, Lowell Godfrey Jr. Chairman of the Placencia Producers Cooperative Society
Limited and Wilbur Dubon, Executive Director facilitated training in seaweed cultivation,
harvesting, processing and marketing for the four participants from Cuba. Two types of
red seaweed (Euchema and Gracelaria) is farmed by the Placencia Producers Cooperative
Society Limited. Seaweed is used as emulsifiers in sauces and food preparation and has
many other uses. This innovate alternative livelihood is being scale-up in Belize,
Columbia, and knowledge was transferred to the delegation from Cuba.
Pic3: Cuban delegation with dried seaweed at Brewed Awakenings
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Pic4: Seaweed cultivation by Placencia Producers Cooperative Society Ltd.
A visit to Fragments of Hope (FOH) Coral Replenishment efforts was facilitated by Lisa
Carne, Executive Director. Fragments of Hope is a community based organizations based
in Placencia village. FoH has installed and maintained over 19 in situ coral nurseries in
southern Belize and out-planted over 73,000 nursery-grown corals to Laughing Bird Caye
National Park. Expansion includes nurseries in Gladden Spit and the Silks Cayes Marine
Reserve and Moho Caye, and over 11,000 nursery-grown corals out-planted in four
replenishment sites at Moho Caye. Coral species are resilient to the effects of climate
change and coral spawning event has been recorded of the outplants!
Pic5: Lisa Carne, explain Coral Replenishment, successes, challenges and scaling-up
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Pic6: Noel Morales, Sponge Cultivation Expert snorkels coral replenishment site
The delegation from Cuba shared their experiences and knowledge on sponge cultivation
with the Placencia Producers Cooperative Society Ltd, Toledo Institute for Development
and Environment, Toledo Fishermen Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Belize
Fisheries Department, Sarteneja Fishermen Association and Copper Bank Fishermen
Association. The GEF SGP supported a sponge cultivation project in Cuba which exports
annually twenty - one (21) tons of sponge to France thus creating sustainable livelihoods
for men, women and youth. The experienced shared by the delegation from Cuba was
beneficial to Belize as we will initiate a national assessment of marine sponge to
determine feasibility, marketing/tourism opportunities as a supplemental alternative
livelihood to fishing and income generation.
Pic7: Noel Morales explaining sponge cultivation techniques to Lisa Carne
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The exchange also included a visit to Santa Teresa Village where the GEF Small Grants
Programme supported Belize`s first indigenous female solar engineer Ms. Florentina
Choco who travelled to India for six-month training and thereafter returned to her
community and installed solar energy to sixty-eight (68) homes and facilitated training of
3 other women, and established a solar power board.
Pic8: Florentina Choco, Belize`s first indigenous female solar engineer
Furthermore, the exchange included a visit to Payne`s Creek National Park and the Port
Honduras Marine Reserve where Managed Access was the pilot site. GEF SGP Belize is
also funding a Ridge to Reef Expeditions Programme as an innovative sustainable
financing strategy for the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment. This
project received an award in September from the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism.
Pic 9: Fisherfolk, TIDE, EDF and Cuba delegation at Sustainable Fishing Dialogue
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Pic10: Dr. Angel Quiros delivering presentation on Sponge Cultivation
Pic11: Site visit to Payne`s Creek National Park – Ridge to Reef Expeditions
A visit was conducted to Aguacate village – an indigenous Maya community in rural
Toledo District, where GEF SGP funded the establishment of three community conserved
areas, empowering women through a woman`s craft group, homestay programme,
community guiding.
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Pic12: Aguacate Conservation and Development Committee based in Aguacate village,
Toledo.
At Rio Blanco National Park, the Rio Blanco Mayan Association have co-managed the
national Park on a voluntary basis since 1994 in partnership with the Forest Department.
GEF SGP is funding park management, biodiversity inventory monitoring, and funding the
Rio Blanco Women`s Group who are creating biodiversity products using the jippi jappa.
Pic13: Josue Oliva, Programme Assistant discusses support provided by GEF SGP to the
women
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Pic 14: Waterfall at Rio Blanco National Park
In San Miguel, an indigenous Ketchi Maya community, the community has designated its
Rosewood Community Conserved Area of 68.7 acres, including lobbied the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment for a license to sustainably manage the 66-ft.
riparian forest which is crucial to their health and livelihoods. Their motto is: “Rio Grande,
Our River, Our Livelihood”
Pic15: San Miguel village- Indigenous Participatory Stewardship of landscape resources.
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Ya`axche Conservation Trust pioneered climate-smart innovative agro-ecology as a
strategy to reduce land degradation and ensuring food security within the Maya Golden
Landscape. With GEF SGP support, over 120 farmers have been trained and 30 model
agroforestry farms are supported. A visit to Daniel Chiquin`s model agroforestry farm
was conducted. Daniel hosts agro-ecological tours within his farm promoting soil
conservation, food security and integrated farming. Daniel Chiquin recently was awarded
the second-place Planet Hero Award from WWF
http://www.wwfca.org/en/planetheroes_belize.cfm .
Pic16: Daniel welcomes visitors to his model agroforestry farm
Pic17: Daniel accompanied by grandson explains agroforestry farm to Fabio Fajardo
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Pic 18: Camera installed in agroforestry farm to monitor biodiversity
Pic19: Leonel Requena thanks Wildtracks for the development of Belize`s Marine
Protected Areas Atlas and for many years of dedicated landscape/seascape stewardship
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Pic20: Aquaponics/vegetable/tilapia project developed by youth
Pic21: Fabio Fajardo explains GEF SGP`s work in Cuba to Grantee Partners in Sarteneja
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Pic22: Delegation with Zoe Walker, Director, Wildtracks (Manatee &Primate
rehabilitation centre)
Pic23: Jeronimo Tzul, Chairman, Copper Bank Fishermen Association inspects marine
sponge. GEF SGP current funds a project to the Association for harvesting live lobster
for export markets in Asia.
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Pic24: Fabio Fajardo explains uses of sponge to women in Sarteneja.
In Summary, at the end of the south- south exchange training visit which was mutually
beneficial, all participants:
1. Obtained first-hand knowledge and experience of the GEF Small Grants
Programme portfolio of supplementary livelihoods and eco-tourism projects in
Belize;
2. Obtained theoretical and hands-on practical experience in seaweed cultivation,
harvesting, processing, value-added techniques and marketing strategies;
3. Learnt step by step process using Seaweed Training Curriculum and Seaweed
Manual;
4. Obtained theoretical and hands-on practical experience in coral replenishment
techniques;
5. The Cuban participants shared valuable techniques in Sponge cultivation and
other mariculture projects in Cuba with Belizean fisherfolk.
6. Mutual exchange of Sustainable Fishing Strategies (Managed Access Initiative –
Learning from Piloting stage to Replication, Upscaling and Mainstreaming efforts
nationally)
7. Convened meetings with key donor agencies to discuss areas of cooperation and
strategic programming and project financing (SGP Grant Maker+)
8. Learnt Strategies towards localizing, Implementing and Mainstreaming the
Sustainable Development Goals through the GEF Small Grants Programme
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SPONSORING INSTITUTIONS
Funding was provided through the GEF Small Grants Programme in Cuba and Belize
with Technical & financial support from the UNDP South-South Cooperation, Regional
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean based in Panama.