The Southern Environmental Association (SEA) is a newly created non-governmental organization.  SEA was developed when two longstanding conservation organizations Friends of Nature (FoN) and the Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and Empowerment (TASTE) joined forces in the hopes of improving co-management of marine protected areas and community involvement in the conservation of the natural resources in Southern Belize.  SEA takes a practical, hands-on approach to conservation and management of much of the Southern Barrier Reef Complex.  SEA has co-management agreements for day-to-day management of Laughing Bird Caye National Park (LBCNP) with the Forest Department, and Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve (GSSCMR) and the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve (SCMR) with the Fisheries Department.

Formerly known as the Friends of Laughing Bird Caye (FOLBC), FoN was formed by a small collation of local community members in response to the threat of tourism development in the Placencia area.  Beginning in 1992 FOLBC worked with the Forest Department to protect Laughing Bird Caye.  In 1996 Laughing Bird Caye and approximately 10,000 acres of surrounding marine areas was declared a national park, that same year the park was included in the declaration of the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site.  Then in 2000 FOLBC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Forest Department for the day-to-day management of Laughing Bird Caye National Park. 

In addition to LBCNP, Friends of Nature was also working with the Nature Conservancy to improve management of the spawning aggregations and growing whale shark tourism industry at Gladden Spit.  After much community lobbying in 2000 Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve was declared.  FoN signed a memorandum of understanding with the Fisheries Department for day-to-day management of the site in 2002.  Over the past seventeen years FoN was been a driving force in community involvement and co-management for both LBCNP and GSSCMR.

The Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and Empowerment (TASTE) also has a long history.  TASTE was formed in 2000 by members of the Belize Tourism Industry Association-Toledo for the specific purpose of the co-management of the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve.  Like LBCNP, the SCMR was declared in 1996 and is also a part of the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site, however there was no on-site management at the park until 2000.  In 2001, TASTE signed a memorandum of understanding for the collaborative co-management of the SCMR.  Although TASTE never had delegated authority over the SCMR, for the next seven years TASTE worked very closely with the Fisheries Department to improve on-site management and community involvement at the SCMR.

In 2005 the idea of forming a larger co-management organization for the marine protected areas of southern Belize was first developed.  Over the next two years through discussions with both FoN and TASTE it became clear that by joining forces these two organizations would be more effective and have the ability to improve site and regional management of many of the resources within the Southern Barrier Reef Complex.  In 2007 SEA began to come together as and idea and an actual functioning organization with the development of the organizations strategic plan and expanding collaborations between FoN and TASTE.  Throughout 2008 these two organizations continued to collaborate and SEA was officially incorporated in October 2008.

The Southern Environmental Association undertakes a wide range of tasks from community outreach to scientific research to law enforcement. SEA works closely with the eight stakeholder communities of Hopkins, Sittee River, Seine Bight, Placencia, Independence, Monkey River, Punta Negra and Punta Gorda.  Under the co-management agreements with the Government of Belize SEA assumes control of zoning enforcement, the behavior of users and is authorized to police within and between parks.  SEA also works closely with the local stakeholder committees who formulate policy for the management of the parks. The organization currently has a staff of sixteen including administrative, outreach, science and rangers.  SEA’s current board of directors consists of eighteen members which includes the eight community leaders as well as key stakeholder representatives. 

For the past 18 years in some form or another SEA has been working with community members to improve management of the their marine resources.  SEA takes pride in its continued and growing successes in both management and community involvement.  Through important programs such as science and monitoring, enforcement, environmental education, community development and outreach SEA hopes to continue to engage users in successful management of the important natural and cultural resources in the Southern Barrier Reef Complex.

The mission of the organization is: "The Southern Environmental Association is a non-governmental organization that continuously works towards improving stewardship and the environmental integrity of key marine areas in southern Belize through effective, collaborative protected areas management, community involvement, and strategic partnerships for the benefit of all stakeholders.".

SEA co-manages Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve and Sapodilla Caye Marine Reserve with the Fisheries Department and Laughing Bird Caye National Park a World Heritage Site with the Forestry Department.


Southern Environmental Association manages, protects, and promotes the sustainable use of its surrounding geographical environment by involving and educating resource users for the benifit of present, and future generations.