Programme for Belize (PfB) was established in 1988 as a local NGO. Under the terms of a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Belize, PfB was authorized to own and manage the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management area (RBCMA or Rio Bravo), which was established in 1989 beginning with the acquisition of 110,000 acres in northwestern Belize. The area has been built up through a succession of private land purchases and gifts with the most recent acquisition in 1997. The legal area of the Rio Bravo, as cited on the land titles, is 254,000 acres (102,790 ha). 

 

The management regime of the RBCMA is based on ecosystem protection and sustainable use of forest resources, therefore corresponding to an IUCN category VI protected area.