PROTECTED AREAS

The freshness of the air, the tranquillity and the opportunities the coastal region offers have enticed generation after generation to reside there. It is not surprising that about 40% of Belizeans have made it their home. This magnet has also lured hoteliers to develop this area so much so that about 75% of the hotels are either located along the coast or on the cayes. Given that this area is supporting multiple uses and bearing in mind all its important functions, the gamut of activities of the coastal zone reveals its significance as well as its fragility, therefore, it is essential that we use it wisely as well as protect it.

To date 22 areas have been declared by the Department of Fisheries and the Coastal Zone Management Unit as worthy of some level of protected area status. The myriad combinations of conditions all over the country have created different land characteristics, vegetation types and fauna in this region. The protected coastal regions speak for themselves for they all have outstanding features that are worthy of protection.

Half Moon Caye Natural Monument -

Half Moon Caye located at Lighthouse Reef, supports a nesting colony of the red-footed boobies. In 1928, part of the caye was designated as a Crown reserve and the red-footed booby became a protected species in 1950. The caye is about 45 acres, with one part consisting of coconut forest and another part of ziricote forest where the boobies and magnificent frigate birds nest. Half Moon Caye Natural Monument includes an area of coral reef and inner lagoon extending 7 kilometers from the caye.

Blue Hole Natural Monument -

It is located in the Lighthouse Atoll and was established in 1996. One outstanding feature is the underwater cave, (similar to "cenote" on land with maximum depth of 125 meters) which serves as an important habitat for shrimp, jewfish and other marine creatures.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve -

One of the first of its kind in the region, Hol Chan established in 1987, is located approximately 6.5 kilometers southeast of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, along the northern section of the barrier reef. A focal point of the reserve is a natural break in the reef which features spectacular coral formations and an abundance in marine life.

Hol Chan is divided into three management zones : reef, seagrass beds and mangroves. The reef zone is draped with vast forests of elkhorn, leaf, finger, brain coral, fish, invertebrates and a huge cave. The seagrass beds support a wide array of living things including sponges, small coral formations and various algae. The mangrove area consists of seven mangrove cayes lying just off the southern tip of Ambergris Caye.

Glovers Reef Marine Reserve -

Glovers Reef Marine Reserve, designated in 1993, and located 45 kilometers east of Dangriga, was the second marine reserve to be established in Belize. This 260 square kilometer reserve helps to protect the spawning bank of the grouper. Of the three atolls in Belize, Glovers Reef is the best developed, with a great diversity of reef types and associated organisms. The central lagoon is unique among the offshore atolls because of its depth and number of pinnacles and patch reefs. Protection of critical habitats within the atoll ecosystem has been granted, while allowing reasonable economics activities to be conducted.

Laughing Bird Caye National Park -

Laughing Bird Caye National Park, an ideal nesting site for the laughing gulls, was established in 1991. This caye has traditionally been a favorite recreational and ecotourist destination. It was leased for building a private resort; thus its protection was primarily a reaction to the potential impact of this proposed development.

Sarstoon-Temash National Park -

This park consists of a 2,270 acres of the best developed riverine mangroves in Belize. It houses a large population of black howler monkeys.

Payne's Creek National Park -

It is adjacent to Deep River Forest Reserve and consists of 1,565 acres of mangroves and scattered pine ridge. It is an important nursery ground for jewfish and other juvenile marine creatures.

Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve -

It is located in Northern Ambergris Caye and was established in 1996. It consists of both a terrestrial and marine area with the former designated as a national park and the latter as a marine reserve. The barrier reef at this park touches the shore at Rocky Point.

Burdon Canal Nature Reserve -

Located in Belize City, this reserve covers 108,074 acres. It consists of mangrove forests and is the habitat for numerous bird species and threatened crocodiles.

Shipstern Nature Reserve. -

This reserve is located in the Corozal District and consists of 22,000 acres. It includes hardwood forests, saline lagoon system and mangrove shorelines.