About

BFREE then leased a 1,153 acre privately protected area to establish a biological field station strategically located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. This location is the gateway to BNR and bordering four national parks and reserves.

Working with multiple stakeholders, BFREE conducts a wide array of conservation activities both within the BFREE privately protected area and in neighboring reserves. BFREE increases awareness of the Bladen Nature Reserve and the greater Maya Mountains by highlighting their conservation value and biological significance. These efforts ensure this tropical wilderness is recognized as a core conservation area within northern Central America and is preserved for future generations in its undisturbed and natural state.

BFREE promotes and facilitates scientific research onsite, within the Bladen Nature Reserve, and other neighboring protected areas. Working collaboratively with international and local partners, BFREE implements both short and long-term research and monitoring programs with a focus on building capacity within Belize.

In addition, BFREE offers content-specific learning experiences that often challenge individuals to step outside of their comfort zone. These courses range in length from one week to a full semester and are structured to encourage participants to actively engage with and appreciate their natural environment. Partnerships include research and educational institutions, conservation organizations, government agencies and businesses.

Learn more about BFREE conservation efforts.

As a life-long lover of nature and wildlife, particularly reptiles, Director, Jacob Marlin first visited Belize in 1986 and returned every year until 1993 when he joined a research expedition into the Bladen Nature Reserve (BNR) within the Maya Mountains of southern Belize.

That trip changed the trajectory of his life. Within two years, Jacob started the non-profit Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), secured a 1,153 area reserve bordering four protected areas, including the BNR, and was living in a tent in the jungle with his family and building the foundations for a world-class field station and reserve. Initially, Jacob and his team focused on developing and implementing a conservation and management program for the Bladen Nature Reserve, the crown jewel of Belize’s protected areas system. Simultaneously, they developed the BFREE field station and established a management presence on the property.

Thirty years later, the BFREE field station remains the only science, education, and conservation facility in the area and has become nationally recognized as a leader in scientific research, environmental education, and protected areas management within the country.