October 2026

Progress Newsletter

Guest Post by Leonard Chavarria Jr., Executive Director, Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), Belize

TIDE, a fiscally sponsored project at Philanthropic Ventures Foundation (PVF), advances innovative conservation initiatives, strengthens community resilience, and invests in a sustainable future for southern Belize. Through its role as our U.S. fiscal partner, PVF provides an important avenue for individuals and organizations to contribute to conservation and community development initiatives.

In southern Belize, where the majestic Maya Mountains give way to tropical forests, winding rivers, coastal wetlands, and the vibrant coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea, nature and communities are deeply interconnected. These ecosystems sustain livelihoods, protect biodiversity, and provide essential services that support the well-being of thousands of people.

For nearly three decades, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) has worked to protect this extraordinary natural heritage while creating opportunities for the communities that depend on it.

Founded in 1997, through the efforts of concerned local community members, TIDE has evolved into one of Belize's leading community-based conservation organizations. Our work is guided by a fundamental belief: lasting conservation is only possible when local communities are empowered to become active partners and beneficiaries in protecting their natural resources.

IDE Main Headquarters and Pier, Punta Gorda, Belize C.A.

TIDE's initiatives and achievements focus on the following areas:  

• Vital Ridge-to-Reef Landscape Protection

At the heart of TIDE's conservation efforts is the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor, where TIDE manages and co-manages four protected areas: Port Honduras Marine Reserve, Payne's Creek National Park, Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, and TIDE Private Protected Lands. This remarkable 830,000-acre landscape encompasses tropical forests, pine savannas, freshwater systems, mangrove ecosystems, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. Together, these habitats support threatened and endangered wildlife, productive fisheries, and communities whose livelihoods are closely connected to the natural environment. Through these protected areas, our teams undertake biodiversity monitoring, enforcement patrols, ecosystem restoration, scientific research, and community engagement.

• Strengthening Marine Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries

One of our most significant current priorities is strengthening the management and protection of the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, an ecologically important component of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

TIDE is advancing initiatives designed to improve marine biodiversity protection, strengthen fisheries management, and enhance the operational capacity of our marine conservation teams. These initiatives include comprehensive assessments of commercially important fish species alongside habitat mapping and coral reef health assessments. For TIDE, effective marine conservation means both protecting biodiversity and working alongside fishers, tour operators, coastal communities, and government agencies. This ensures that healthy marine ecosystems continue to support food security, economic opportunities, and cultural traditions.

Yellow-Headed

Parrot Monitoring

TIDE Youth Conservation Competition

• Restoring Forests and Building Climate Resilience

On land, TIDE continues to advance forest conservation efforts through reforestation initiatives, native tree propagation, and ecological monitoring. Through training, community partnerships, improved equipment, and coordinated fire management efforts, TIDE is also strengthening local capacity to prevent, manage, and respond to wildfires. Together, these initiatives will help ensure that protected areas remain ecologically healthy, effectively managed, and financially sustainable for future generations.

• Investing in Communities and the Next Generation

While protecting biodiversity is central to our mission, people remain at the heart of our conservation work. TIDE collaborates with more than 28 communities across southern Belize, supporting environmental education, sustainable livelihoods, youth development, and meaningful participation in natural resource management. Through scholarships, school outreach, summer camps, youth clubs, and experiential learning opportunities, we are helping young Belizeans develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to become future environmental leaders.

We also recognize the importance of connecting conservation with economic opportunity. Through TIDE Tours, our ecotourism initiative, we promote responsible tourism that showcases southern Belize's exceptional natural and cultural heritage while creating employment and income-generating opportunities for local communities.

TIDE’s Female Team

• Building Partnerships Across the Gulf of Honduras



Environmental challenges do not recognize national borders. The Gulf of Honduras, shared by Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, is a vivid example of how ecosystems, fisheries, and coastal communities are interconnected. Recognizing this shared responsibility, TIDE is helping advance regional cooperation through the Tri-national Alliance for the Conservation of the Gulf of Honduras (TRIGOH).

Our regional efforts emphasize stronger collaboration among governments, conservation organizations, fishing communities, and other stakeholders to address shared challenges such as marine pollution, ecosystem degradation, unsustainable resource use, and climate change.

Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve (SCMR)

Our Appreciation to PVF

None of this work happens in isolation. We are especially grateful to Philanthropic Ventures Foundation for its partnership and support. PVF's commitment to responsive philanthropy, trust, and community-driven solutions closely reflects TIDE's own approach to conservation. For us, philanthropy is more than financial assistance. It is an investment in people, partnerships, and the long-term health of the ecosystems upon which communities depend. Every contribution helps strengthen our collective ability to protect critical habitats, support conservation practitioners, create opportunities for young people, and build more resilient communities.

Guest Post by Thokozile Mwamba, Communications Manager at Time + Tide Foundation

Time + Tide Foundation is a fiscally sponsored project of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation.



For the last 10 years, Time + Tide Foundation (TTF) has worked alongside communities in Zambia and Madagascar to expand opportunities for people who have historically faced social and economic exclusion. As in many rural and remote communities, women and girls are among those the most affected. A central part of TTF’s work is female empowerment: keeping girls in school and equipping women who left education early with the skills and income to drive their own futures.

TTF’s Female Empowerment Programme began with Girls’ Clubs, which support girls to remain in school and continue their education. In 2021, the program expanded to include women who had dropped out of school. The Community Women’s Programme offers literacy, financial, and business training, followed by support to develop business plans and grants to start or grow enterprises. Its goal is to increase women’s income earning potential and financial independence.