CIS 2.0, it's not a new crime drama, but Conservation Investment Strategy. It's a new approach being taken by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust that was launched today to improve their financial sustainability. The funding will be distributed to its Co- managers and used to protect and conserve our natural resources. Jomarie Lanza reports:

PACT's CIS 2.0 was launched today in Belmopan, a 16.5-million-dollar investment allocated towards strengthening Belize's protected areas management system. Pact has moved away from small project-based grants and towards conservation investments in which a total of 40 selected sites, both marine and terrestrial, will benefit from. Executive director for PACT Nayari Diaz Perez spoke with us today about the key components of Pact's CIS 2.0 which will run for a period of 3 years.

Nayari Diaz- Perez, PACT Executive Director
"Well CIS 2, our conservation investment strategy 2, is the result of a very lengthy participatory process where we have set out a plan for the next three year period which is seeking to invest a total of 16.5 million dollars across 40 protected areas across Belize." "The 40 sites that have been identified were prioritized using a prioritization module that was part of the design process of the strategy. and so those are the 40 areas that we are going to be targeting across the system, so they are identified again based on data that is available and based on the tool that was used to prioritize those areas."

Minister of state in the Ministry of Sustainable development, climate change and disaster risk management, Ramon Cervantes says that this conservation strategy will equip PACT's co-managers with the financial support needed to enforce Belize's green laws and maintain the upkeep of our National protected areas.

Ramon Cervantes, Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainable Development Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management
"Well it's very important that we are launching this conservation strategy today. It's very important because it's as you saw a 16.5 million that will be distributed to our Co managers in an effort to keep up the perseveration of our natural areas, of our protected areas for the benefit of all Belizeans."

PACT's funding comes from revenues from visitor's fee paid at the airport, a port fo the cruise tourism head tax, as well as donations and investments from other stakeholders.