To ensure that Belize’s development is sound through effective environmental management for present and future generations

The Department’s major tasks are to recommend national policies which promote improvements in environmental quality, to recommend priorities among environmental programs and to assist in achieving international cooperation in dealing with environmental problems. The strategies of the Department are centered on:

• Strengthening the coordination of environmental activities between government and non-government organizations.
• Establishing and enforcing standards for pollution control.
• Reviewing and revising, as necessary, existing environmental legislation and regulations as well as strengthening their enforcement.
• Promoting environmental planning for key areas of development such as the coastal zone, islands and tourism sites.
• Establishing, upgrading and maintaining information systems to store data and other information on the environment so as to facilitate planning and monitoring.
• Facilitating public participation in environmental issues, through public education campaigns and district outreach activities, in order to encourage community based environmental planning and enforcement of regulations.
• Ensuring that the Government’s Environmental Impact Assessment procedures are implemented for all environmentally sensitive projects.