The project factored in replication of outputs in its design through capacity building and development of training manuals. The intent was for the course curricula and training manuals developed for the mangrove reforestation and coral restoration trainings along the Placencia peninsula to be replicated in additional coastal communities. Barranco Village, located in southern Belize, is an example of one coastal community where the Mangrove Reforestation training has been replicated at 12 a non-project site with the assistance of the project?s mangrove reforestation instructor. One of the outputs is a video documenting the planting of mangrove seedlings along the coastline of Barranco Village. The FoH has also been contracted by the Marine Conservation and Climate Adaptation Project to establish nursery and out-planting sites at the South Water Caye Marine Reserve and the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve through to 2020. The training manuals produced by this project will be used to train personnel at those sites.

There are several factors that will determine the sustainability of outcomes once the project has come to an end. One of these factors is stakeholder ownership. In the case of this project, it is clear that tour guides and fishers, particularly from the Placencia area, are actively engaged and see the benefits between the long-term success of mangrove and coral restoration efforts and their livelihoods. FoH plans to train mangrove and coral reef restoration experts who can then be hired locally, and perhaps nationally, to engage in this type of work. This would motivate participants to remain interested in the work after the training courses. On a national and international scale, decision-makers are showing more interest in promoting ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, therefore, the project outcomes will remain relevant in the near future. The partnerships established between FoH and CZMAI, Belize Fisheries Department and Department of Environment will help to facilitate the sharing of and incorporating of project outcomes into national development plans or government policy. The FoH has the technical capacity in the area of mangrove reforestation and coral restoration. Scaling up to include expanding its education and outreach component or implementing sites on a national level will strain FoH?s existing human and financial resources. The FoH will require additional resources such as full-time staff to be able to achieve its objectives. Identifying sustainable income streams to support some of the essential activities should be an important consideration for FoH. The long-term impact of the project is to eventually enhance the health and stability of coral reef and mangrove ecosystems which in turn will help to mitigate threats from climate change. There are environmental risks and uncertainty associated with the long-term nature of this activity such as sea level rise, hurricanes, increased pollution etc. Fragments of Hope, Belize Ltd., however, is anticipating that corals outplanted during this project will show similar medium to long-term high survival rates (80-90%) to the original coral transplants at LBCNP in 2006.

This project builds on and complements existing successful pilot projects for restoring both ecosystems and can potentially be replicated in other communities throughout Belize (Sarteneja, Gales Point, Caye Caulker and San Pedro, for example). These activities not only conserve the threatened ecosystems but also help to provide socio-economic stability to the participating coastal communities that depend on mangrove and coral ecosystem services.

This project proposal may be unique in that it is building on previous years? of experience with both mangrove reforestation and coral restoration efforts in Belize. Much of the project involves creating a standardized curriculum (manuals and presentations) for the two activities, which will include, and be possible because of, the lessons learned during the implementation of both activities over the recent years inclusive of the scheduled activities under the proposal.

While this project does not specifically target women, it will target tour guides, of which there are currently 16 female members in Placencia. Many of these women participated in the 2013 BTB Tour guide training and/or PADI Dive master training offered via the PTGA through a COMPACT grant.

Youths will be involved in the project activities.