About BSOP
The Belize Sustainable Ocean Plan (BSOP) is Belize’s comprehensive framework for marine spatial planning (MSP), designed to guide the management of the country’s ocean space encompassing internal waters, territorial sea, and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) through a participatory, science-based, and adaptive approach. BSOP refers to Belize’s Marine Spatial Plan and serves as a foundation to build on for more comprehensive sustainable ocean planning in Belize.
History of the BSOP
In 2021, the Government of Belize (GoB) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) signed a “blue bond” debt conversion agreement enabling the country to reduce its debt burden and increase its investment in marine conservation as outlined in the Conservation Funding Agreement (CFA) Conservation Commitments.
The CFA has 8 milestones, and Milestone 3 and 6 outlines the development, approval and implementation of a Marine Spatial Plan (MSP). Belize’s national Marine Spatial Plan is called the BSOP.
What is Marine Spatial Planning?
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is a comprehensive and strategic process of analysing the uses of Belize’s ocean in order to coordinate where activities occur. The process addresses many sectors, exploring their compatibilitiess and conflicts to create measures to guide the many uses of marine resources. MSP is intended to be complementary to the existing management structures, and in Belize’s case, will add new elements to sectoral management measures to aid the country in achieving its environmental, economic, and social objectives. One of the main outputs of the planning process is the allocation of space, or zones, designated for a particular use.
The Belize MSP process includes identifying Biodiversity Protection Zones through an inclusive, transparent, equitable, science-based participatory and interactive process. The goal of designating up to 30% of Belize’s Ocean in Biodiversity Protection Zones will be part of the overall MSP design such that the Biodiversity Protection Zones identified will facilitate achievement of Milestone 4 and 6.
Milestones
Exhibit A: Clause 1 of the CFA explains the commitments the Government of Belize agreed to for (i) developing a legally enforceable Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) and (ii) designating up to 30% of Belize’s ocean space as Biodiversity Protection Zones (BPZs).
Clause 1 also presents these commitments through eight time-bound Milestones, including five that outline a phased approach to complete the MSP process and reach the conservation targets. In particular:
• Delivery of Milestones 1, 4, and 6 was intended to support an incremental pathway toward designating 30% of Belize’s ocean space as biodiversity protection zones.
• Milestones 3 and 6 were intended to signal the launch of the MSP process and the completion, gazetting, and legislation of the marine spatial plan
| Milestone Number | Milestone Summary Description | Time after signing the Agreement | % of Ocean in High Protection1 | % of Ocean in Medium Protection1 | Total % of Ocean in Biodiversity Protection1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expand Biodiversity Protection Zones to 11.57% of the Ocean | 6 months | Increased to 11.57% | Remains at the current 8.96% | 20.53% |
| 2 | Designate Public Lands within the BBRRS as Mangrove Reserves | 6 months | |||
| 3 | Belize initiates MSP process | 1 year | |||
| 4 | Expand Biodiversity Protection Zones to 25% of the Ocean | 3 years | Add 4.5% more in total across either Medium and/or High zones1 | 25%1 | |
| 5 | Implementation of ICZMP | 4 years | |||
| 6 | Complete Biodiversity Protection Zones, MSP signed in to law and Implemented | 5 years | Add 5% more in total across either Medium and/or High zones1 | 30%1 | |
| 7 | At least 3 IUCN Green List Applications Submitted | 6 years | |||
| 8 | Approved Management Plans | 8 years | |||
1In all cases, is the lower of the % or the amount specified in the MSP
