Belize’s economic growth is inherently linked to expansion of the tourism industry, yet the activities of this industry often result in habitat degradation, undermining the very ecosystems on which it depends. This project will assess the vulnerability of Belize’s tourism system to climate change, including the coastal ecosystems on which it depends, and examine how current policies serve to facilitate or hinder climate-compatible tourism development, based on healthy coastal ecosystems.

Very little is known about the potential impacts of climate change on Belize’s water resources, despite this being identified as a priority area of research for the country. This project will use modeling to assess the potential impacts of climate change on the supply and demand for water and water quality in Belize across different climate change and land use scenarios and in so doing, will determine the hydrographic areas most vulnerable to climate change.

In many Caribbean countries, national and sectoral level policies are lagging behind the already evident threats to development from climate change despite the strong efforts made at the international and community level to adapt. The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), in collaboration with the World Resource Institute (WRI) and the St. Lucia National Trust (SLNT) is implementing a project in St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago to increase civil society engagement in policy and institutional analysis for climate change adaptation.

African and developing country governments are increasingly calling for practical examples of how to advance climate