The Government of Belize has put measures in place to ensure that its development and environmental management are mutually supportive. The Government has also adopted integrated planning and policies to ensure sustainable tourism development. The Government has formulated policies for the general tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism, and marine based tourism including diving, yachting and cruise-ships. Policies have not been formulated for recreational fishing. Measures have been adopted to protect the cultural integrity of Belize, and the Government has developed policies to increase local ownership within the tourism sector.
Incentives exist in the tourism sector to foster sustainable approaches to waste management.
The Government has developed national legislation to conserve biodiversity in terrestrial and marine resources, but has not yet formulated and implemented strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of these resources. Marine and terrestrial national parks have been established. Public awareness, education and participation have revolved around biodiversity issues. The Government has not taken measures to ensure the reintroduction of biogenetic resources after a disaster. At the current time, there are no initiatives regarding research on management systems and strategies to quantify intrinsic socio-economic and cultural values with respect to biological resources.