PfB operaties under a formal agreement with the Government of Belize which permits the organization to hold land in trust for the people of Belize in perpetuity. The economic climate in developing countries is a harsh one. Conservation projects that cannot justify themselves in economic and social, as well as ecological terms, will soon draw the beady eye of the developer, agriculturalist or logger. Cat skins and mahogany logs would head the quick-profit shopping lists. The Programme for Belize does not intend to let that happen.
Nature tourism is one such initiative.
Furthermore, the program aimed to provide skills training to group members to promote economic activities in local communities that enhance income without jeopardy to conservation concerns. Such a day is spent strolling through the village, chatting casually with the villagers, and after working up an appetite, sitting down to feast on a local dish. A local presentation one of the Cultural groups is not uncommon after lunch. Programme for Belize's tourism venture commenced in 1991 with the launch of a student tourism program for high school students mainly from the U.S. and Belize. Today, over seventy groups have participated in the two-week program which include a week at the La Milpa Field Station studying forest ecology and a week at an offshore caye studying marine ecology.