July 26, 2025
Q&A: Meet Mangrove Mama
Across Belize, passionate individuals are making a difference for our natural environment, fueled simply by their love for the country and their vision for a thriving, sustainable future. Among them is Allison Ifield, whose commitment exemplifies the connection between personal drive and collective action. Originally from Canada, Allison has called Belize home for over 25 years. She resides in the vibrant island village of Caye Caulker, where locals have given her the nickname “Mangrove Mama” because of her spirited efforts in mangrove restoration.
Fun fact: Allison is a self-proclaimed puzzle and chess enthusiast. She also attributes her driven and ambitious personality to her upbringing as a middle child.
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What drew you to mangrove protection work and how long have you been in this field?
AI: I don’t call it work. I’m just one person who volunteers her time to plant mangroves whenever I can. And I got really into mangroves years ago when I first got here. I would jump in my canoe, and I’d wander around the mangroves and just be entranced by all the life that’s there.
Because I’m a tour guide, I did a lot of kayaking mangrove trips, and I would have to go further and further to find mangroves to show other people. And so, one day, what had really slammed me hard was I had planted some mangroves — maybe 24 or 25 years ago — with a Peace Corps volunteer. We planted about 20. So, I came around the corner where we had planted these so many years ago, and someone had chopped them down. All except for three; I was so devastated! But that’s what really activated me into doing as much as I could. And I had a friend of mine who leased the beach land in front of his place for mangrove restoration. We started doing that seriously in 2016/2017 with some students from Ocean Academy High School. It wasn’t until 2020 that I was poached by Denver Foundation and MarAlliance to do a project.
Why are mangroves an important ecosystem in Belize?
AI: Mangroves are so important in Belize. I can’t believe I still have to talk about how important they are. We have enough push, and I think we really have to get on the politicians and developers. We know that the ecosystem is important for juvenile finfish. We know that we have a socioeconomic tie to the mangroves, the physical stuff like being a buffer for high impact storms and protecting our land from running off. Without the mangrove ecosystem, it affects tourism. If we don’t have a healthy mangrove ecosystem, we don’t have a healthy reef, and everything will go down with it.
What are the biggest environmental issues facing Belize? How can we address them?
AI: Enforcement is very huge. I think that might be our biggest environmental issue, the lack of enforcement.
How does your life connect with the environment?
AI: Every day I draw open the doors, I go for a walk, I smell the beautiful, fresh air, the fresh soil, the sea breeze is also lovely and salty, and every day I touch plants. I have a little nursery here. I’m surrounded by cool animals, music, and good friends. And we’re all here because of this excellent environment.
Do you think our constitution should include environmental rights? Why?
AI: Yes, absolutely! I would love to see the villagers’ right, the locals’ right to protect their island, regardless of whose land it is. Stop cutting down our mangroves!
What type of future do you want for Belize?
AI: I would like an enlightened environmental future of strong, young leaders who believe in science and science-based solutions. Leaders who are willing to look at the world and see what works in another country, so we don’t have to make the same mistakes over and over. Let’s take that playbook and make course corrections as needed.
