Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires“archaeological reserve” means an area of land declared as an archaeological reserve under section 59 of the National Institute of Culture and History Act; CAP. 331. “authorized officer” means any person appointed or otherwise authorized to enforce the provisions of– (a) this Act, as protected area park officer or otherwise; (b) the Forests Act, as forest officer or otherwise; CAP. 213. (c) the Fisheries Act, as fisheries officer or otherwise, CAP. 210. and includes a police officer and customs officer, duly acting as such; “biological corridor” means a geographically defined area that provides connectivity between landscapes, ecosystems and 8 habitats, natural or modified, and ensures the maintenance of biodiversity and ecological and evolutionary processes; “co-managing entity” means a conservation organization appointed to co-manage a public protected area under this Act; “conservation organization” means- (a) a company that is registered under the Companies Act as a non-profit company, or CAP. 250. (b) a group of persons including a community based organization, having as its principal object the promotion or encouragement of the carrying out of any conservation purpose in relation to land, sea or freshwater generally or to any particular land, sea or freshwater or particular kind of land, sea or freshwater; “conservation purpose” includes any one or more measures to– (a) protect ecologically viable areas representative of both Belize’s biological diversity and its natural landscapes or seascapes in a system of protected areas; (b) preserve the ecological integrity of areas described in; (c) conserve biodiversity in areas described in paragraph (a); (d) protect areas representative of all ecosystems, habitats and species naturally occurring in Belize; (e) protect Belize’s threatened or rare species; National Protected Areas System [CAP. 215 9 (f) protect an area which is vulnerable or ecologically sensitive; (g) assist in ensuring the sustained supply of environmental goods and services; or (h) rehabilitate and restore degraded ecosystems and promote the recovery of endangered and vulnerable species; “Council” means the National Protected Areas Advisory Council, established under section 9; “fish” means to take, kill or attempt to take or kill any aquatic organism; CAP. 213. “forest reserve” means the same as in the Forests Act; “hunt” means to kill, take, or molest by any method and includes attempting to kill, take or molest by any method species of “managing entity” means the conservation organization, body or individual responsible for the management of a private “marine reserve” means an area of land and sea declared as a marine reserve under section 14 (1) of the Fisheries Act or any equivalent statutory provision that may replace that provision; CAP. 210. “Minister” means the Minister responsible for the National “national park” means any area established as a national park in accordance with the provisions of section 33 for the protection and preservation of natural and scenic values of a national significance for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public; 10 “nature reserve” means any area reserved as a scientific reserve in accordance with the provisions of section 33 for the protection of nature, be it biological communities or species and to maintain natural processes in an undisturbed state in order to have ecologically representative examples of the natural environment available for scientific study, monitoring, education and the maintenance of genetic resources; “natural monument” means any area reserved for the protection and preservation of nationally significant natural features of special interest or unique characteristics to provide opportunities for interpretation, education, research and public appreciation; CAP. 315. “NGO” means a non-governmental organisation registered under the Non-Governmental Organisations Act; “National Protected Areas System” means the National Protected Areas System established under section 4; “National Protected Areas System Plan” has the meaning given in section 6; “PACT” means the Protected Areas Conservation Trust established under section 3 of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust Act; “private land” means land including cayes or parts thereof owned by or leased to any private person or body of persons, including collectively held land; “private protected area” means any private land declared to be a protected area under this Act; “protected area” means an area, falling within any classification specified in section 8, and declared as so classified whether pursuant to this Act, the Forests Act, the Fisheries Act or the National Institute of Culture and History Act or any statutory modifications thereof for the time being in force; National Protected Areas System [CAP. 215 11 “protected area offence” means an offence in contravention of this Act, the Fisheries Act, the Forests Act or the National Parks System Act (repealed hereunder); “protected area park officer” means a person appointed to be a park officer for the purposes of this Act; “protected landscape” and “protected seascape” mean respectively an area declared as a protected landscape or an area declared as a protected seascape, because of– (a) its distinct character with significant ecological, biological, scenic value, and (b) the fact that safeguarding the integrity of the interaction of humans and nature is vital to protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values; “public managing entity” means the Forest Department and the Fisheries Department; “scenic landscape of geomorphic significance” means pleasing views of the natural features of an area of land, including– (a) physical elements of landforms, such as mountains and hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea; (b) living elements of land including indigenous vegetation; (c) human elements including different forms of land use; (d) transitory elements such as lighting and weather conditions; and 12 (e) the scientific study of these landforms and the processes that shape them; “spawning aggregation site” means the place where important aquatic and terrestrial species of animals congregate to engage in reproductive activities and which is declared as such under the Fisheries Act; “special management area” means an area so declared under this Act for the protection of biological corridors, critical nesting, roosting or congregation areas requiring active management; “wildlife” means all undomesticated mammals, birds and reptiles, amphibians, fish and all parts, eggs and nests of any of these life forms; “wildlife sanctuary” includes a Wildlife Sanctuary 1 and Wildlife Sanctuary 2, except where otherwise stated; “Wildlife Sanctuary 1” means any area reserved as a nature reserve under this Act for the protection of nationally significant species, groups of species, biotic communities or physical features of the environment requiring specific human manipulation for their perpetuation; “Wildlife Sanctuary 2” shall be similarly construed as “Wildlife Sanctuary 1”, except that established traditional community use, including harvesting on the basis of a sustainable use plan, is permitted.