An Overview of Land Policy, Administration and Management in Belize

1
An Overview of Land Policy, Administration and
Management in Belize

• Towards Access and Equity

2
Historical Perspective on Access and Equity

• Slave based economy with Limited Access mainly to
  a subgroup of early settlers.
• Transition from Slave Based economy to colonial
  based economy, with the emergence of large
  monopolies such as Young Toledo and Co., British
  Honduras Estate and Produce Company ( BEC).
• Major characteristics of the colonial era
  Rentier system in North, Squatting in Central and
  Reserves in South.
• Transition to Self Government, marked by land
  redistribution, and thus expansion in small plots
  vis-à-vis large plots.

3
Policy Framework and Enabling Legislations

• Registration of Claims (Works).
• Declaration of Residual Lands as Crown Lands
• Passage of Crown Lands Act.
• Law of Property Act, Administration of Estates,
  General Registry Act.
• Land Administration Committee recommended that no
  consideration be given to any proposals for
  expropriation (acquisition) of land at less than
  its market value.

4
Policy Framework and Enabling Legislations
(Contd)

• Land Reform (Security of Tenure) - 1961 Land Tax
  (Rural Land Utilization) Ordinance -1966 Land
  Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 1971 Aliens
  Landholding Ordinance 1973.
• Registered Land Act - 1977 Strata Titles Act -
  Land Adjudication Act.
• Land Utilization Act 1981.
• Land Tax Act.
• National Lands Act, National Lands (Amendment)
  Act, Aliens Landholding Act (Repealed).
• Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 2001.

5
Indicators of Inherited Issues in Access and
Equity

• Subsidized secondary market resulting from sale
  of the national estate (primary market) at below
  market value.
• Expanding secondary land market, with reasonable
  level of dynamism within context of lack of
  regulation for the protection of investors
  (financial aspects).
• Inability to utilize land for production or to
  leverage for financing of commercial business
  ventures,
• Where income levels are inadequate to satisfy
  commercial bank credit criteria.
• Complicated conveyancing process and resulting
  need for legal expertise contributing to
  prohibitive cost.
• Inaccuracies inherent in old conveyancing system
  eg. descriptions varying significantly from
  actual holdings.

6
Inhibition to Balanced Market Development, Equity
and Access

• Culture and Tradition
• Defined roles internalized from pre-colonial
  structure. Preferences for clerical and
  professional careers as opposed to
  entrepreneurship and agriculture.
• Disparate levels of appreciation for land as an
  investment among various regional, ethnic and
  economic groups.