ENVIRONMENT DEPARTEMENT

Conservation and Development in

Complex Landscapes Belize Field Report

05/05/2016

Claude Garcia, Chris Kettle, Gian Barandun; Fabienne Benz, Noëmi Brüggemann, Stefanie Conrad, Tina Cornioley, Benjamin Costerousse, Diana Eisenring, Nora Gallarotti, Noémi Gay, Daniela Gurtner, Livia

May, Julian Muhmenthaler, Danny Nef, Corinne Schlierenzauer, Larissa von Buol & Lara Widmer

TABLE OF CONTENT Table of content 1

Course Objectives 2

Methodology 2

Data collection 2

Participants 3

Supervisors 3

Results 4

Interviews 4

Conceptual Model : Drivers of Landscape Change in North-eastern Belize. 5

Actors 6

Resources 7

Lessons Learnt & Feedback 10

Detailed Feedbacks 10

Additional comments 13

Concluding Remarks by the teachers 14

Verbatims: 15

References 18

Methods and Approaches 18

Fisheries 18

Livelihood 18

Agenda and Expenses 19

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COURSE OBJECTIVES The “Conservation and Development in Complex Landscapes “ course provides students with a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the realities of managing complex landscapes in a context of a developing country - Belize. They are expected to understand drivers, impacts and implications of land use from distinct perspectives. The course additionally encourages students to engage in transdisciplinary research, engaging stakeholders across the spectrum of science and society. The course gives students practical insights and experience into a complex, and real-world environmental problem, and offers them the possibility to apply their theoretical knowledge to explore possible management strategies. Additionally, soft skills and elements of methodology – such as facilitation and conducting group discussions and qualitative interviews will be shared with the students and put into application with real case examples.

METHODOLOGY There are three levels of learning in the module. The most immediate one is the one on (1) the substantive knowledge – the topic of the drivers of change of north eastern Belize, the agricultural practices, the forest management applied in the Protected Area, etc. The second level of learning is on (2) the methods of qualitative research: how to conduct an interview? How to explore the complexity of a landscape? How to develop a conceptual model? How to engage with stakeholders? The final level is the one related to (3) nurturing the soft skills and the critical thinking capacities of the students: Defining the expectation of the course; Learning facilitation and debriefing; being able to receive and give constructive feedback; learn adaptive and agile management; learning to cope with uncertainty.

For the first layer, we based the entire module on the empirical knowledge of the stakeholders and resource persons met. The teachers had no specific knowledge of the location and were therefore not the referents for the students, which in itself was unusual for the students.

For the second layer, we applied the ARDI (Actors, Resources, Dynamics, Interactions) method to identify drivers of change in the landscape (Etienne & Dutoit 2011). The method consists into identifying key actors and resources, the interaction between them and the underlying processes, and then to develop the foundations of a conceptual model.

For the third layer, we applied concepts similar to those described in Bosque-Perez et al 2016, and particularly insist on the role of feedback through regular collective debriefings. As in the course of Foundations of Ecosystem Management, we discuss with the students elements of facilitation (how to conduct an ice-breaking session; the concepts of empathy and self-awareness; how to guide a debriefing). The agenda was discussed and adjusted on a day-to-day basis to respond to the new knowledge gained through the process and to adapt to a changing environment – the relationships between some of the stakeholders being tense, we had to take that into account.

DATA COLLECTION The information presented in this report was derived from open interviews of stakeholders whose activities were connected to Shipstern conservation and management area. Over the course of 10 days, we interviewed a diversity of stakeholders representing different groups of interests; a CSFI board member, CSFI executive director, two CSFI rangers, the forester mandated for the exploitation of Fresh Water Creek, four small-scale to medium-scale farmers, a group of farmers from Little Belize (a Mennonite community), a couple of local residents who were previously fined for engaging in illegal activity in the conservation are, two representatives of Blue Venture and one representative of Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD) who was also a former fishermen. The stakeholders were chosen because they represent groups with different interests and activities potentially driving changes in the landscape, which in the tropics typically includes

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conversion of forests into agricultural land, over-fishing and conflicts between conservation objectives and local residents’ livelihood. Even though the interviews were arranged by CSFI representatives, they were conducted in the absence of CSFI representatives.

PARTICIPANTS Table 1: List of participants

Last Name First Name Direction Main Specialisation

Barandun Gian Env. Sc. MSc Forest and Landscape Management

Benz Fabienne Env. Sc. MSc Human Health, Nutrition and Environment

Brüggemann Noëmi Env. Sc. MSc Forest and Landscape Management

Conrad Stefanie Env. Sc. MSc Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics

Cornioley Tina PhD UZH Ecol.

Costerousse Benjamin Dr USYS, Agr.Sc.

Eisenring Diana Env. Sc. MSc Forest and Landscape Management

Gallarotti Nora Env. Sc. MSc Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics

Gay Noémi Env. Sc. MSc Forest and Landscape Management

Gurtner Daniela Env. Sc. MSc Forest and Landscape Management

May Livia Env. Sc. BSc Specialization in an Environmental System: Forest and Landscape

Muhmenthaler Julian Env. Sc. MSc Forest and Landscape Management

Nef Danny Env. Sc. MSc Ecology and Evolution

Schlierenzauer Corinne Env. Sc. BSc Specialization in an Environmental System: Biogeochemistry

von Buol Larissa Env. Sc. MSc Ecology and Evolution

Widmer Lara Env. Sc. MSc Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics

SUPERVISORS Table 2: List of supervisors

Last Name First Name Research Unit

Garcia Claude D-USYS/CIRAD Group Leader – Forest Management and Development

Kettle Chris D-USYS

Senior Scientist - Chair of Ecosystem Management / Applied Molecular Ecology

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RESULTS

INTERVIEWS Table 3: List of interviewees

Name Role

Caspar Bijleveld CSFI Office

Mr. Lincoln Farmer in Fireburn

The Verde brothers Boat owners, former fishermen, tourist guides.

Mr Nieto Farmer, former fisherman

Mr. Casanova Farmer

Mr. and Ms. Alaya Farmer, NTFP collectors

Mr. Guzman Farmer

Mr. Bernardo Farmer, Mennonite

Pascal Walther CSFI Volunteer - Sustainable Forest Management (Swiss)

Roy CSFI – ranger

Lester Delgado CSFI – senior warden, community liaison & environmental education

Joel Diaz CSFI – Senior warden, vigilance, enforcement & tourism

Heron Moreno CSFI Executive Director

Davide Grazi Blue Ventures Expedition Manager

Mr. Verde Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation & Development

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Figure 1: Interview with Mr Casanova on his field.

CONCEPTUAL MODEL : DRIVERS OF LANDSCAPE CHANGE IN NORTH-EASTERN BELIZE. From the interview of the stakeholders, students identified several key resources, actors and processes driving changes in the landscape (Table 4 & 5 for a list of actors and resources, processes are graphically depicted in figure 1). From the forest, locals extracted timber (in particular mahogany tree) and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as thatch leaves for building roofs and occasionally medicinal plants. Wild animals were also occasionally reported to be hunt for consumption or sale. Park rangers have constable rights, thus can arrest whoever is caught performing illegal activities within CSFI including logging, hunting and gathering of NTFP.

Deforestation in the area of Shipstern mainly aims at opening new land for farming practices. Farmers cultivate sugarcane and other crops such as bean and water melons for their own consumption and for sale. Sugarcane is considered separately from the other crops in the model because it depends on the sugarcane industry, a pathway that needs to be further investigated. Farmers additionally or exclusively breed farm animals such as sheep and chicken. Human-wildlife conflict arises when wild animals damage crops or when carnivores kill cattle. In these cases, farmers might decide to shoot the animals causing damage. Alternatively, farmers reported fencing as a mean to hold herbivores at bay.

Little Belize host a community of Mennonites, a religious group which stays apart from the other inhabitants of the area. The Mennonites are mostly farmers, yet they tend to plough larger fields and to have more equipment, such as tractors and irrigation system, than the other farmers in the areas. Thus their framing is more intensive than their neighbours’.

However, the use of fertilizers and herbicides seems to be common among all farmers. They reported receiving occasional training on their use, although the identity of the trainers is unclear at this stage. Despite training, the self-reported quantity applied in the field exceeds recommendations from producers. It is likely that the chemicals discharge into the mangrove, which provides a breeding ground for some commercially exploited species of fish. However, no ecotoxicological analysis has yet been performed. Another threat to the mangrove is its conversion into resorts, usually by external investors.

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In addition to fish, fishermen were reported to catch lobster and conch. These two species are not closely associated with the mangrove and are both skin dived which limits the fishing ground to waters less than 30 m in depth (Huitric 2005). Thus, resources from the sea were separated into two categories; 1) fish and 2) lobster and conch. Populations of lobster and conch have been reported to decline, reducing the attraction of the fishing sector. Furthermore, security at sea appears to be threatened by the practice of piracy and drug trafficking in the region. These mechanisms have led some fishermen to convert to agriculture and/or tourism.

Identified knowledge gaps in our work:

- Sugarcane supply chain and its impact in the landscape - Water pollution.

ACTORS Table 4: Actors identified in and around Shipstern as identified from stakeholders (after a ranking exercise).

Category Type Symbol

Officials Park rangers

Locals Locals

Farmer

Fishermen

Mennonites

Externals Pirates

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Investors

Sugarcane factory

RESOURCES Table 4: Resources identified in and around Shipstern as identified from stakeholders (after a ranking exercise).

Category Type Symbol

land cover Forest

Farmland

Sea

Mangrove

Resort

Terrestrial natural resources

Timber (mahogany)

NTFPs (thatch leaves,medicinal plants)

Herbivores (deer, agoutis)

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Carnivores (jaguars)

Marine natural resources

Lobster and conch

Fish

Agricultural products Sugarcane

Crops (bean, banana, watermelon)

Farm animals (sheep, chicken)

Man-made Chemicals

Training centres

Fences

Tourists

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Figure 2: Listing and Ranking the actors shaping the landscape in and around Shipstern.

Figure 3: Building the conceptual diagram of the CSFI Social and Ecological System.

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Figure 4: Conceptual Model of the CSFI Social and Ecological System. The Actors, Resources and Interactions are those identified through the interviews. The elements within the grey area are found within the limit of the landscape whereas the others are external drivers. A fundamental element is that local communities can decide to switch between the fisheries and agriculture, putting pressure on different elements of the system. The images are from Ron Leishman, used with permission.

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LESSONS LEARNT & FEEDBACK

DETAILED FEEDBACKS

Main learning (take home message)?

Feedback on our expectation

What will you do differently back home?

What should we keep? What should we change?

Fabienne Discovered that it’s possible to live 10 days within a large group. Does not know if it’s really possible to work all together

All covered Learned a different way to talk to people in an official way

To change: the organization at the beginning (not enough information about the flight, basecamp)

was informed by others students

Diana Surprised to see Mennonites at the airport. Didn’t know that they are a driver of change in the country

All covered Interactions: Learned how to conduct interview: good experience and feedback

To change: when an interview is about 1 hour, the debriefing shouldn’t be more than 1 hour.

Livia Surprised not to recognize many plant families, a lot of work to learn them.

All covered Has to learn to take fewer notes to be more focused

To keep: have Caspar with us

To change:

collect different presentations and make them available online

Daniela different ecosystems and new problems, but it’s possible to see some similarities and parallels with Switzerland

Caspar’s words: have an idea and make a difference in the World

All covered; even more than expected especially in the social part

The interview technique: useful too for the everyday interactions and to learn to observe yourself during asking questions.

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Corinne Discovered Belize and different ecosystems

Learned more than expected of the social part and about how to conduct an interview

Learned how to conduct an interview

To keep: meet many stakeholders

To change: 1 additional day for the analysis especially if a report is expected → make the whole course longer

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Gian Surprised by the deforestation: knew that it exists but witnessed it for the first time

Surprised that there isn’t really a forest management: just logging

All covered, even more

The interview technique: ask only one question at a time. Useful for discussions with friends as well

To change: finish the day at a precise time

Have one day off and make the course one day longer

Noëmi Caspar’s words: when we go for a walk in agricultural landscapes in Switzerland we think about nature, in Belize about destruction

All covered the interview technique, how to talk to people

To change: the organization prior to the course

prolong the course, but not much longer, shouldn’t be exhausting

Larissa How to conduct an interview: new knowledge, didn’t know that there are some rules

Profited of the knowledge of others, especially of Claude and Joel, would have loved to know more about the ecology (learn more from Chris)

Question a system differently, look at the whole

To change: improve the organization

have one day off

would like to know more precisely what is expected of us

Nora The interview technique

management of forests in general, liked Freshwater Creek

Fascinated by the Mennonites

Didn’t have too many expectations.

Expectations about the wildlife and forest were covered

How to conduct an interview

How to consider different points of view

To change: Make smaller groups for the interviews

Not conduct 4 interviews in a row

Have a break, was tired all the time

Benjamin How agriculture can be so central in a country and shape it

The agriculture is really different from the one in Switzerland

Impressed how the people can be ignorant by lack of education

All covered, even more

Will be more optimistic in the future, partly with respect to the questioning of the sense of doing research

There is a lot to do here and there are many topics for further research

To keep:

the approach of not planning too much, the possibility that the students can change things

To change:

Nothing

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Julian Caspar’s words: being a good example of governance is as important as doing conservation

All covered Will try not to be overly enthusiastic in interviews

To change: more time to engage with locals on a personal level

Tina On the way to do conservation

Identified gaps in her own knowledge

Not all expectations were met as they were high. Wanted to go further, is frustrated to have so many unanswered questions.

Regrets that the system hasn’t been quantified and that nothing has been double checked

Already changed her way to conduct an interview / ask questions

To change: extend the course:

1. a training on interview techniques and taking notes in Zurich (before going to Belize)

2. the course itself

3. have a meeting back in Zurich to bring together all the knowledge

To keep:

happy to do a report out of the gathered informations

Danny Learned about himself: Didn't know he was able to switch to formality during an interview even if he has a personal relationship to the stakeholder

Didn't like the group work

He will have fewer prejudice

To change:

shorter discussions

include further steps

give broader context

Lara Learned how to ask questions in scientific interview

Yes and no.

Comes from another field (Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics)

the topic of water management isn’t covered.

Has a new understanding of how conservation should be done (a holistic approach)

To change: give more information about what is expected (a report? the purpose?)

give more theory on how to handle the information

smaller groups for the interviews → more interactions and experiences

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Stefanie Look at problems / structures in society

Wasn't aware of the number of stakeholders

Learned how to approach people, how to get information and how to use it

Learned how to set up conservation so that it works

All covered

Was surprised how good the group worked, had been afraid of the size of the group at the beginning

How to deal with people: never blame anyone for what they do, but work with communication

To change: improve information flow at the beginning

To keep: the possibility to see how it could be built up

The possibility to tell what our preferences are

Noémi Was confirmed in the fact that she's always learning

Had no expectations due to lack of information

just came and learned how to think differently

She will analyse everything

Knows more about the interview technique process

To change:

give more precise information on When and Where the course starts and finishes

Tell us what is expected of us

Claude Was confirmed in his hypothesis: through this approach it’s possible to go to a completely new place and to come back with a good picture of the whole, just by getting involved with the stakeholders

All covered - To keep: the course

To change: make sure that it’s possible to make appointments by ourselves (not through Shipstern)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Diana: appreciated the Belizean time management; the first two debriefings were very long and after the dinner, should be done before dinner; Nachos should be kept!

Stefanie: enjoyed the informal approach of Claude and Chris

Lara: appreciated the open way of the course and that we could tell our opinion.

Fabienne: the group dynamics was good; for the first time at the ETH she felt considered as an adult and being part of a decision process; she never stopped to think about the topic.

Danny: impressed of how they managed our different desires; the tone always came back professional.

Julian: appreciated the concept of constructive ambiguity: different kind of teaching in which mess is not a problem

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CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE TEACHERS Possibility for the future:

A 3 weeks course: one week ahead in Zurich and two weeks in Belize. 3 groups of about 4 students, one car and driver per group. More freedom to have the possibility to be involved without the risk of harming the reputation of the partner. Reduce the costs for the students by getting funding, ask for money earlier.

Group dynamics:

Ice breaker: important at the beginning, the people are then more inclined to collaborate.

Our group: was very tolerant of “messiness” (be aware that it puts pressure and tension on the others), was always ready to listen, suggested many thoughts (got involved)

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VERBATIMS: NOËMI BRUGGERMAN In Belize I had the chance to experience how Ecosystem Management can be applied in real life after learning about the approach in the lecture. This included engaging with the local people and environment on a very intense level. We conducted interviews, engaged in different activities with and without local stakeholders and learned about the environment, especially the forest in Belize. The discussions in the group after or in between our daily schedule were very interesting and demanding. The course synthesis we started on the last day was too short to process all the information we accumulated in the last days and raised the wish to have more time to work on the issues raised.

My main take home ability from this course was how to conduct an interview with a stakeholder. We learnt how to ask questions in order to get the information we want and without judging people’s beliefs and practices. This ability is very useful in everyday life as well as in any profession since it allows you to understand other people better and negotiate on a more professional level. The course gave me a better understanding on how Ecosystem Management is applied in the field and about the temporal and spatial scale it takes place in. It was helpful to see where and how you could start with the approach and which possible steps in the process there are.

This field course is different from others because it gives the student the opportunity to contribute or alter the program if wished. This gives the student more liberty and responsibility than usual. I didn’t feel like I was studying anymore. Rather a small work experience in the field with close guidance and assistance if needed.

LARA WIDMER The field course in Belize broadened my perspective on conservation work. CSFI’s holistic approach on addressing problems, by integrating ecological as well as socioeconomic aspects is very interesting. CSFI has a respectful relationship with different stakeholder groups, which gave us the opportunity to conduct interviews with them and created a good working environment.

It was enriching to have people from different backgrounds, like agriculture, forestry, biogeochemistry, in the group. This way we could explore the system from different angles and learne from each other. The group dynamic was very engaging, productive and simply nice. I learned a lot about methods to analyse the conception

of stakeholders in such a system. The opportunity to practice scientific interview methods followed by feedback rounds was very valuable and I am sure I’ll be able to use this in the future.

In general the structure of the field course was open and very participatory. This not only empowered us to take ownership of our learning, but made us feel respected as adults, on a master level of their education, who’s opinion count in the decision making process.

Form what we learned from the different stakeholders about their view on the situation and challenges in the region of Sarteneja, there are many aspects that would be interesting to explore further.

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TINA CORNIOLEY The field course in Belize has been a unique and an eye-opening experience. It allowed me to witness application of conservation in the tropics and identify challenges faced by practitioners. Implementing an efficient conservation strategy is a challenge requiring an understanding not only of the natural system but also of the social context. This field course went behind introducing students to tropical ecology. After a first introduction on how to conduct interviews, we were encouraged to interview local stakeholders to identify the drivers of change in the landscape. Not only did I learn a new method to get access to unpublished information, but I also got a glimpse at the impact a conservation area has on its

neighbors, at how actors interact with each other and how this can make or break conservation. The information collected was then used to identify the main actors and resources of the system and the interactions between them. The course coordinators set up an intensive program to make the best of our 10 days there. Yet rather than following the program to the dot, they offered flexibility which allowed the students to get involved in the organization, make suggestion and follow up on ideas that emerged during the course. I wish I had the opportunity to go further. This course would greatly benefit from being extended to a couple of days training in Zurich prior to the course and another week afterward to follow up on the information gathered in the field. I firmly believe that this course is essential for any ETHZ students whose intention is to one day get involved in conservation as not only the method taught during this course can be applied anywhere but also many of the issues identified in Belize are common to the application of conservation worldwide.

FABIENNE BENZ Actually, I did not have any specific expectations on the field course in Belize and therefore, I started the course totally neutral and naive. But quite fast this course turned out to be different than any course I had so far at ETH.

I remember that at the first day, we were all asked to write down our expectations and wishes for this course. And I remember as well, that at the end, we could assign all of these expectations (imagine the diversity if 16 students with different backgrounds and from different fields write down three goals each...) to the attribute "fulfilled".

I very much appreciated the way our teachers lead the course: They just got the ball rolling in the right direction, we collectively took up the threads and were able to shape the course according to our wishes. We were able to meet all our expectations, as we, the students and our supervisors strongly worked together as a team. We were all allowed to contribute in our individual way and to one's personal capabilities, and therefore shaped the process of the course together. I think the fact that we ended up quite often discussing till 10 p.m. and resumed with the first cup of coffee in the morning, already shows that this week was a success.

As this is a field course designed for master students, which are supposed to be motivated and quite autonomous, I think this level of freedom and self-responsibility is by all means reasonable. Even more, I suggest it might be an important driver for our personal, educational, and scientific development. As many courses at ETH tend to be too structured and well-defined from the beginning on, I think the training of aforementioned progression unfortunately often comes off badly.

I think the days we spent in Belize can be used as a perfect model for a freer form of teaching, where students are expected to contribute their ideas and and play an important role in deciding the outcome and benefit of this course. Additionally it's important to mention, that the benefit of this course for our partners from

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Shipstern will increase with every fallowing course as new fields of investigation can be added or the previous knowledge can be deepened.

I'm very thankful that I could participate in this course, as I think it completes an important missing piece in our curriculum

DANNY NEF I am personally interested in transdisciplinary solution approaches which are capable to help meeting a variety of expectations from various stakeholders and align them with conservation efforts. This ranges from analysing and assessing a system in all dimensions (ecological, biochemical as well as socioeconomic aspects) and, derived from this, conceptualising sustainable projects. Moreover, I would like to understand how to successfully engage stakeholders from the beginning of the project, over the determination and implementation of measures, to the completion and mentoring. Several courses at ETH, such as “Foundation in Ecosystem Management”, are addressing these thematic fields,

which helped a lot to build up a solid knowledge base. The Belize field course, however, was the first course that brought all these aspects together. Moreover, by bringing theory into practice, the field course provided not only certainty about the applicability of what we have learned during our study, the course was also an ideal preparation for the master thesis.

Of no less importance is that we had a very good time, which was characterized by a respectful, fair and amicable relation and interaction among the students but also between students and teachers.

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REFERENCES

METHODS AND APPROACHES Bosque-Pérez, Nilsa A., et al. "A Pedagogical Model for Team-Based, Problem-Focused Interdisciplinary Doctoral Education." BioScience (2016): biw042. http://bioscience.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/04/08/biosci.biw042.full.pdf

Etienne, M., D. R. Du Toit, and S. Pollard. 2011. ARDI: a co-construction method for participatory modeling in natural resources management. Ecology and Society 16.

FISHERIES Reconstructing catch estimates of commercial fishes in Belize and benefit from it: Zeller, Graham and Harper 2011 Reconstruction of total marine fisheries catches for Blize, 1950-2008, in Too precious to drill by Palomares and Pauly http://www.seaaroundus.org/doc/publications/books-and-reports/2011/Palomares-and-Pauly-too-precious-to-drill-Belize.pdf#page=146

Population of Lobster and Conch: Huitric 2005 Lobster and conch fisheries of Belize – a history of sequential exploitation, Cons. ecol. http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A190532&dswid=-5589

LIVELIHOOD Shift in SARTENEJA: Karlsson and Bryceson 2014 Continuity and change: understanding livelihood shifts and adaptation in coastal Belize 1830-2012, Local Enviornment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marianne_Karlsson2/publication/271939277_Continuity_and_change_understanding_livelihood_shifts_and_adaptation_in_coastal_Belize_18302012/links/560a98f708ae840a08d5df71.pdf

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AGENDA AND EXPENSES

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Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative Conservation and development in complex landscapes

12 Days all Inclusive

Price (Per Person)

*Presentation - on geology, soils, vegetation, etc.

$20.00*Accommodations

All Prices in US $

Itinerary for Prof. Claude & Jaboury

$43.00

$20.00

*Pick-up at airport at Belize

*Check in the dormitories (Accommodations)

$0.00

*Thompson Trail and Botanical Trail- a short trek through many habitats, from headquarters to

the mangrove savannah.

*Breakfast $6.00

$30.00

$10.00

Day 1

$0.00

$0.00

$76.00

*Lunch at Shipstern

* Main trail

Total

*Dinner $10.00

$0.00*Shipstern Introduction , Visitor Center and the Observation Platform

*Dinner $10.00

Total

$73.00

February 2nd - 12th ,2016

$75.00

*Spend the night in the forest of Freshwater Creek (camp set-up) $20.00

Total $116.00

*Lunch at Freshwater Creek $10.00

*Dinner at Freshwater Creek

*A traditional Campfire and Presentation $0.00

*Chunox Village ( Ramonal Milpas , then visit a sawmill to see some traditional uses of posts,

*Dinner $10.00

*Accommodations $20.00

*Breakfast $6.00

*Xopol - Nature walk -discuss conservation issues about continuous forest cover and gradual isolation

of forest areas over time

$10.00

timber , wano , etc )

*Accommodations

$75.00

*Dinner $10.00

*Visiting Milpas

*Sarteneja : all around the village and swimming $0.00

*Breakfast $6.00

*Mayan Lunch at Chunox village

$10.00

*Shipstern Lagoon and Orchid Islands $30.00

*Lunch at Shipstern

( Little Belize , then pass through the corridor , Newland and Freshwater Creek

Total $121.00

*Breakfast

*Tour with the Traditional Mennonites & Freshwater Creek Forest Reserve

Total $121.00

$10.00

$6.00

$25.00

$15.00

$20.00

Day 6

$10.00

$20.00

permanent plots, to understand the damage done by unsustainable logging

$65.00

Day 8

Breakfast

Working in groups:

Group 2: meets with Mennonites to get their perspective on agriculture and conservation

Sarteneja Village : Meet with fishermen to explain fishing industry issues and how

depletion of stocks explain the return to land

$20.00

$10.00

Total

Breakfast

Dinner

Accommodations

Day 9 Group 3 : meets with our forestry team to go through our long-term strategy at FCFR and visit

Lunch

Dinner

$6.00

Accommodations

Day 7

Breakfast

Total $86.00

Bacalar Chico Day ( Snorkeling on Reef and Coast Tour) $125.00

*Agriculture Tour ( Papaya industrial Plantations ( Fruta Bomba ) then pass through

Swimming Time at Sarteneja Village $0.00

*Breakfast at Freshwater Creek

the Sugar plantations ( Visit the Sugar Cane Factory)

*Lunch at Shipstern $10.00

$40.00

Lunch at San Juan

Dinner at Shipstern

$66.00

$20.00

$10.00

$6.00

Total

$20.00

*Accommodations

Return to Shipstern

$10.00

$171.00

$111.00

$6.00

Total

$10.00

Group 1: meets Farmers in Chunox to discuss for example land / agriculture issues, the selling of land

to Mennonites

$10.00

$10.00

$20.00

*Accommodations

*Dinner

$6.00

Day 10

$54.00

$6.00

$10.00

$6.00

$10.00

$6.00

$10.00

$20.00

Day 11

Wrap-up and work in groups

Break fast

Accommodations

Breakfast

Wrap-up and work in groups

Lunch

Coffee & Snacks

Dinner

Total

Total

Lunch

Coffee & Snacks

Dinner ( farewell BBQ)

$6.00

$12.00

$20.00

$54.00

Accommodations

Grand Total of US$ 1'100 per person for 12 days all inclusive

$1'100.00

$43.00Drop off

$8.00Breakfast

$51.00Total

To Ms. Ariane Hangartner Administrative Assistant Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems Ecosystem Management Forest Management and Development Group (ForDev) Department of Environmental Systems Science ETH Zürich Universitätstr. 16 8092 Zürich Kerzers, March 7th, 2016 INVOICE

Transit-invoice for an invoice issued by the Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative

(CSFI) with regard the stay of the ETH group at Shipstern Conservation &

Management Area in Belize, according to program as prepared together. See also

CSFI’s original invoice attached.

USD 20’542.00 Payable to: Fondation internationale pour la conservation de la nature tropicale USD account Csfi tourisme Valiant Bank AG 3210 Kerzers IBAN: CH08 0630 0397 6725 0455 2

With many thanks in advance,

Chantal Derungs, treasurer ITCF

TO: ETH UNIVERSITY

PAYMENT OF DESCRIPTION GROUP TOTAL

18 PAX. One week all inclusive Shipstern

stay + Tours

$20,542.00

$20,542.00

$20,542.00

All Prices in US Currency Dollars

Thank you for your Business

“Shipstern Conservation & Management Areas”

Phone: 501 -6601807

P.O Box 52 Corozal, Corozal, Belize

E-mail: shipsternconservation@gmail.com

Sarteneja Village

INVOICE

INVOICE #51

DATE: 08TH/03/2016

Corozal Sustainable Future Iniative Shipstern Conservation & Management Areas

( Breakdown of Drinks that were Consumed by the ETH group )

Name Drinks Course US$equivalent

Lara Widerer 99.00 2,200.00 2,299.00 1,149.50 Stefi Conrad 104.00 2,200.00 2,304.00 1,152.00 Danny Nef 165.00 2,200.00 2,365.00 1,182.50 Fabienne 133.00 2,200.00 2,333.00 1,166.50 Diana Eisenring 101.00 2,200.00 2,301.00 1,150.50 Ben Costerousse 178.00 2,200.00 2,378.00 1,189.00 Gian Baraudon 161.00 2,200.00 2,361.00 1,180.50 Daniela Gurther 92.00 2,200.00 2,292.00 1,146.00 Noemi Bruggemen 77.00 2,200.00 2,277.00 1,138.50 Noemi Gay 6.00 2,200.00 2,206.00 1,103.00 Corinne Schlierenzauer 36.00 2,200.00 2,236.00 1,118.00 Julian Mummentaler 126.00 2,200.00 2,326.00 1,163.00 Livia May 18.00 2,200.00 2,218.00 1,109.00 Larissa 56.00 2,200.00 2,256.00 1,128.00 Nora 34.00 2,200.00 2,234.00 1,117.00 Tina 21.00 2,200.00 2,221.00 1,110.50 Chris Kettle - 2,200.00 2,200.00 1,100.00 Claude Garcia 77.00 2,200.00 2,277.00 1,138.50

TOTAL FOR WHOLE GROUP 20,542.00

Total (BZ$)

Conservation and development in complex landscapes Field course in Belize Proposal by Jaboury Ghazoul and Claude Garcia A 12-day Masters course for up to 14 students run in alternate years. Rationale The sciences of conservation and natural resource management draw on several fields of knowledge and a wide skills set. These fields are inherently interdisciplinary, requiring students to be familiar with both natural and social sciences. Existing courses prepare students with the conceptual, theoretical, and technical knowledge necessary for dealing with land and resource management problems. Nonetheless, there is a wide chasm between understanding these skills and approaches in a theoretical context, to applying them to real world problems. Learning how to apply and use these skills in practice can be most effectively done by immersing students in the realities of complex landscapes. A field course designed for this purpose challenges students to view environmental problems from multiple scientific and social perspectives, and to respond to these problems through the application of interdisciplinary thinking. We focus on northern Belize, at a location where there are a complex set of interaction among stakeholders and land use objectives. This location also encompasses a range of tropical habitats, from dry to wet forest systems, mangroves and coral reefs, and a variety of agroecosystems. Moreover, it is in the tropics where land use and land cover is undergoing most rapid and dramatic change. These changes have far-reaching implications for food security, conservation and resource management which transcend international boundaries. The course therefore provides students with a unique opportunity to understand drivers, impacts and implications of tropical land use change from several interacting perspectives. The course will additionally encourage students to engage in transdisciplinary research, directly interacting with a variety of stakeholders. By engaging with stakeholders across the spectrum of science and society, students will be better able to conceptualise the nature of complex environmental problems, and to explore possible solutions to them. Thus the field course will build upon, and utilise, knowledge from several undergraduate and Masters courses, including Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, The field course in Belize will builds on skills gained in several class-based courses at Bachelor and Masters levels. The most relevant course at the Bachelor level is Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, but many other courses provide a foundation for the field course. Additionally, the field course would be complementary to the following Masters courses:

• Foundations of Ecosystem Management (701-1631-00) • Systems Ecology (701-1420-00) • Wildlife conservation and Management (701-1452-00) • Policy and Economics of Ecosystem Services (701-1653-00) • Ecological Assessment and Evaluation (701-1453-00) • Human-Environment Systems (701-1512-00) • Transdisciplinary Methods and Applications (701-1543-00) • Concepts and Assessments of Sustainable Development (701-1551-00) • Resilience of Ecological Systems (701-1614-00)

The first of these (Foundations of Ecosystem Management) is a basic pre-requisite for the field course, which will build on the theoretical concepts developed by the Ecosystem Management course. In summary, the focus of the course would be developing an understanding of the complexities inherent to the management of landscapes, and evaluating options for resolving conservation and natural resource conflicts. Students will be expected to integrate skills in quantitative natural science with social science approaches in real world, and hence highly complex, settings. Location and logistics Shipstern Reserve and Freshwater Creek Reserve in northern Belize.

The Shipstern Reserve headquarters has a guest house that provides accommodation for 32 people, and a restaurant that caters for all food needs. It also includes a small laboratory and a meteorological station. Several vehicles are available for transportation. Different forest habitats can be accessed directly by trails starting from the reserve headquarters. Freshwater Creek Reserve is an extractive reserve that is managed together with the local community. Sustainable logging coupled with enrichment planting with high value and useful trees is the principle management strategy. The reserve is accessible by vehicle and is some 30 minutes’ drive Shipstern Reserve. Dates The first course is planned for February 2016, immediately before the start of the Spring Semester. This is during the dry season, making forest work and access much simpler. Local hosts Heron Moreno, Manager of Shipstern and Freshwater Creek Reserves Caspar Bijleveld: Director of Papiliorama (Kerzers) and of Shipstern Reserve (Belize). Innovation The course will give students the opportunity to:

• Understand how interactions among tropical ecological patterns and processes shape land cover and vegetation composition

• Validate theoretical concepts obtained in classwork • Gain experiential learning with complex real-world issues • Analyse real natural resource management problems • Read and identify the trends of social change in a developing country setting • Work with local stakeholders and apply their skills and knowledge in a transdiciplinary

setting • Develop critical thinking skills through team work, engagement with stakeholders and

extraction and synthesis of information by a diversity of means Course Description Title Conservation and development in complex landscapes Semester Field course in February 2016 (before start of the semester) Lecturers Jaboury Ghazoul and Claude Garcia Language of instruction

English

Abstract We propose a field course in Belize that builds on skills gained in several class-based courses at Bachelor and Masters levels. The focus of the course would be developing an understanding of, and solutions to, issues of landscape management relevant to conservation and natural resources. Students will be expected to integrate skills in quantitative natural science with social science approaches in real world, and hence highly complex, settings.

Objective To address complex multi-dimensional environmental problems through the application of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary skills.

Content Day 1: Ecology of the forest habitats A first impression of the biology of the region will be gained through an exploration of the different forest formations, ranging from mesic forests to dry evergreen, dry deciduous, and mangrove forests. The learning objective will be to understand the underlying environmental conditions that determine forest formations within the relatively small area of Shipstern Reserve. This includes linking climate, soil, and geology with community processes to understand the mosaic of habitat types, their distribution, form, and function.

Day 2: The ecology of natural resources Students will begin to explore how people use forest resources, ranging from timber, to a variety of non-timber forest products, and animals for hunting. This will lead to an evaluation of threats to species and habitats, and hence set the scene for subsequent work. Day 3: Familiarisation with landscape scale dynamics We will explore the land uses in the landscape in the vicinity of Shipstern and Freshwater creeks. This will encompass a range of land uses, including small scale to large scale agriculture, extractive forest reserves, and protected forests. In the process the students will gain a better understanding of the pressures on land and forests, and a chance to meet some of the local stakeholders involved in land use transformations. Days 4 & 5: Problem conceptualisation Working with reserve managers and local stakeholders the students will develop a conceptual understanding of the key problems in the region, including the underlying drivers of change. Days 6-9: Integrative analysis Students, working in small groups, will analyse selected natural resource problems in greater depth. Options include biodiversity responses to habitat fragmentation, conservation management of mangrove and coral reef systems, restoration ecology, community forest management, and tourism development, among others. Students will have opportunities to collect original data across natural and social sciences, and will use different modelling approaches to explore future development trajectories. Day 10-11: Synthesis and presentation of results Research will be synthesised and presented to the local management community of Shipstern and Freshwater Creek reserves. The course will conclude with an afternoon allocated to discussion and debriefing, including an appraisal of the challenges of addressing natural resource management issues in complex socioecological systems, and the lessons learned.

Literature No specific literature beyond that provided in the Foundations of Ecosystem Management course

Prerequisites Essential: Foundations of Ecosystem Management (Master course) Recommended: Tropical Rain Forest Ecology (Bsc course)

ECTS credits/ hours

5

Performance assessment

Presentation and report

Repetition Biannually Remarks Health Risks:

Yellow Fever vaccination required only if traveling from a country with risk of YFV transmission. Malaria is present in Belize, but risks to travellers are low, and there are not drug resistances reported. For a short stay, Mosquito avoidance and mosquito nets are sufficient. Security Risks: Belize City is known for high crime rates, but the course will take place in and around Shipstern Reserve, far away from potentially risky areas, and no time will be spent in Belize City. Our partnership with the local institutions, present in the area since 1974, ensures security risks will be minimized at all times.