Protect Unique Ecosystems in the Gulf of Honduras

We are all connected, say the environmental and social scientists: all the organisms and ecosystems on the planet. The truth in this aphorism is impossible to miss when flying over the Belizean coast in an impossibly small eight passenger plane. Below are the blues and greens of Carribbean waters, which blend with briny brown rivers that wind like snakes through green mangrove colonies, into blink-and-you’ll-miss-them coastal communities and beyond into rainforests that blanket the mountainous landscape. Just by looking at the land and seascapes from above, it is clear that collective effort is required for environmental conservation to be successful.

I am here in Punta Gorda, Belize to connect with the six terrestrial, coastal and marine conservation organizations with which ArtCorps works and to participate in Creative Facilitation, the second course in our Creative Leadership Certificate Program. The objective of this course is for participants to develop and practice their creative facilitation skills, gaining fundamental knowledge and confidence to effectively lead their own groups. 

The course was a smash hit, with everyone finding ways to communicate more effectively and facilitate activities that elicit empathy, dialogue and a collective vision. And, we connected with each other. Maybe it was because we had to disconnect; we all agreed not to use our cellphones during the course and the country was coincidentally experiencing a nation-wide internet outage. But I think it was mostly because participants were hungry for such connection.

Belize is home to only 200,000 people. And while most conservation leaders already know each other at least by name, they rarely get a chance to identify common challenges and collaborate to uncover possible strategies to address them. The spaces for connection are critical: the complexity of the environmental and social challenges we face require working together to address them. It was inspiring for all of us to be part of an initiative that not only builds critical skills to advance conservation work but also builds connections among champions for a sustainable and healthy planet.

This initiative was sponsored by the New England Biolabs Foundation.

The author Louisa Trackman is ArtCorps’ Development Officer.