Who we are

Neil is a lecturer in geography at Edinburgh University and has worked on projects in Belize since he was part of an expedition to survey of the coastal mangroves of Belize in 1991. He was one of the leaders of the 1996 Expedition to the Booth River and has since worked extensively on the use of satellite imagery to study Belize's savanna ecosystem. From 2009-2012 he led a project to assess the biodiversity of Belize's savannas funded by the Uk Darwin Initiative, with partners including the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, the Belize Botanic Gardens, the University of Belize and Belize Zoo. Many of Neil's Masters and PhD students also undertake research projects in Belize and so he spends time in Belize most years. Neil has been on the organising committee for the many UKBA meetings held in Edinburgh over the years at both the RBGE and at the University.

 

Chris Minty has spent much his adult life in Belize either working or travelling in the country. Following service in the British Forces, Chris left to pursue a career in science, starting by completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Ecology & Environment and then a Master’s Degree in Natural Resource Management at the University of Edinburgh. His love of fieldwork, inspired by Professor Peter Furley, was clear from the outset and he went on to lead and worked on a series of expeditions in Belize during the 90’s. In 1997, Chris joined London’s Natural History Museum as the resident manager at Las Cuevas Research Station  in the Chiquibul Forest, Cayo. For 8 years Chris basically lived full-time in the bush – either at the Station in its remote setting in the forest or actually on expeditions. He has supported literally hundreds of science projects ranging from soil surveys and student study groups to the re-introduction of Harpy Eagles into the wild, he led the Wildlife Impact Assessment of the Macal River Upper Storage Facility (Chalillo Dam) and has sat on several Belize Government advisory panels. Chris pioneered live-webcasts from the remote jungle location back to the NHM, the San  Francisco Exploratorium and many other visitor centres and has appeared in several National Geographic documentaries. His outstanding achievements in Belize led to his being awarded the MBE in 2007 for services to the conservation of the Central American rainforest. Now as Chief Executive of The Silvanus Trust, a woodland conservation charity, Chris maintains close links with Belize leading private trips to the Chiquibul Forest and facilitating science and student expeditions whenever he can.  He is an Associate Director of Full Basket Belize, a 501c entity in the US supporting grass roots conservation and education projects and he has been a committee member of the UK Belize Association since 1996.

 

    David is an Associate Professor in Sustainable Urban Development at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. He is Director for the DPhil in Sustainable Urban Development and Director of Studies for the Sustainable Urban Development Programme at the University of Oxford, which promotes lifelong learning for those with professional and personal interests in urban development. David is also Co-Director of the Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanisation at Kellogg College. The Centre hosts public debates and promotes research on key urban issues affecting society today, with the aim to provoke discussion and constructive action, linking current best practice in related areas of research. He is a member of the Management Committee for the Latin American Centre at the University of Oxford, a CNRS Research Associate at Université Bordeaux, and Chair of the David Nicholls Memorial Trust. He was previously a Senior Lecturer in the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh, following postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, the City University of New York and the University of Melbourne. His research relates to historical and contemporary Caribbean societies, with a specific focus on colonial legacies, urban development, and social sustainability. His current research interests focus on access to basic services and shelter in low-income, urban neighbourhoods in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Belize’s new High Commissioner Her Excellency Therese Rath arrived in the UK in July with her husband, nature photographer Tony Rath. Their children remain at home running the family hotel business. Her Excellency’s work/life balance has so far been relatively in sync. “I married an adventurer, so when I’m not working, I follow. In the short time we’ve been here, I’ve seen Stonehenge and spotted Windrush graffiti in Bristol. My sister also lives in Bedfordshire, so I try to be open to the adventures my family provide me with.” The High Commissioner believes her “lifestyle and family upbringing has very much prepared [her] for this role.” Her grandfather built a hotel in the small town where she grew up, and her family ran it. “Travellers interested in natural history were attracted to the area, boosted by the opening of the world’s first Jaguar Reserve, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, a few years later.” When the World Wildlife Fund hosted a workshop at the hotel, the High Commissioner “was converted, kicking off a lifelong passion for conservation.” Meanwhile, the Smithsonian Institution from Washington DC had chosen a small island owned by her grandfather for a marine lab. “They settled there and have been our tenants for 45 years.” It was there that she met her husband, who was posted as the station manager. “The marine life is very special. Belize has the longest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, second only to Australia.” High Commissioner Rath has been the Managing Director of the family business, Pelican Beach Resorts since 1984, across two locations: ‘inland adventure’ in Dangriga and ‘island paradise’ on South Water Caye. Alongside this, Mrs Rath has held many Public Service roles throughout her career, most notably Chair of the Belize Tourism Board, President of the Belize Hotel Association, President of the Belize Audubon Society (Belize’s oldest conservation organisation), and founding member of Board of the Directors of Programme for Belize managing over 300,000 acres of land in northern Belize. “Belize is a special place in terms of natural resources. Over 60 per cent of our land has protected area status, and we have the largest cave system in Central America. Of the cruise lines that come to the area, Belize has the highest disembarkation rate in the Caribbean, because there is so much to do! Tony’s photographs do a great job of documenting Belize’s natural beauty.”

Throughout her career, she says “I’ve been able to pull the various synergies together to fight to maintain the authenticity of Belize’s product: the value, rareness and beauty of Belize’s natural resources.” A spell as Senator of the National Assembly of Belize was good training for diplomacy

Barbara facilitates the UKBA meetings on alternate years and develops the network of  interested parties. She is an independent researcher. Barbara is a Belizean-born plant taxonomist an has authored Journey Through Mexico (Countries Today Series). The book describes the geography, sights, and prominent places of Mexico, and includes a chart of key facts and information on the population, religion, and festivals. Additionally, Barbara has co-authored The Economic History of Belize with her husband Victor Bulmer-Thomas.  

  Elma is most passionate about the development of conservation models at the landscape-level that integrate biodiversity protection with community participation, sustainable financing and strategic partnerships. Elma is the first Managing Director of the Belize Maya Forest Trust, a non-governmental organization entrusted with the stewardship and management of Belize's second largest private protected area. Prior to this Elma co-founded the University of Belize Environmental Research Institute working as the Science Director (Terrestrial) and Administrative Director for a decade. This included representing  the University of Belize in numerous regional and national councils, boards and expert groups addressing protected areas policy and financing, REDD+, climate change and the environment. As a biologist who combines 20 years of experience in research and teaching, conservation practice and policy, and organizational leadership with significant experience in stakeholder engagement and management, strategic planning and coalition building to achieve larger outcomes. Elma through her activism and close collaboration with local and international partners has helped to secure the protection of over a quarter million acres of Belize's most highly threatened forests in the Belize Maya Forest and the Maya Forest Corridor. Elma continues to strive for effective and lasting conservation in her country through mentorship of students, young professionals, and community-based conservation groups and is currently the Chairwoman of Belize Network of NGOs, the Maya Forest Corridor Trust, and Belize's Scientific Authority for the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Elma also proudly serves as Vice President of Friends for Conservation and Development, co-manager of Belize's single largest National Park, and in the board of directors of Silk Grass Wildlife Reserve, Belize’s first model of sustainable financing for protected areas through a certified B-corporation. Elma’s love of nature and biology came from growing up in rural Belize where most of her family time was spent outdoors. Her passion for conservation was ignited in yer youth, especially after a two-week experience in the forests of the Rio Bravo in northwestern Belize and Belize’s Barrier Reef at Southwater Caye. Elma does her best to share such meaningful field experiences with her sons and other young Belizeans.