Conservation in Belize

The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) was founded in 1969,[13] and oversees a total of nine protected areas, including 4 natural monuments, 2 national parks, 2 wildlife sanctuaries and 1 nature reserve.^[14]

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), founded in 1995, provides funds for the development of conservation and the promotion of environmentally sound management of Belize's natural and cultural resources, in order to foster sustainable development. It is primarily financed by the collection of a conservation levy included in the country's airport departure tax.^[15]

To protect as many different species and ecosystems as possible, methods of conservation biology are used to maximise the biodiversity of each park or reserve. There are design methods to these parks on both the micro and macro scale.

When designing a particular park, care is taken to ensure that the area contains as many different ecosystems as possible, and allows enough space for populations of species to thrive. An

On the larger scale, parks are designed together to create corridors, or areas of passage for migratory or wide-ranging species. A great example of this is the planned Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which, when completed, will allow for the migration of animals from Mexico through Central America and down into South America.

Critical species

As part of the process to assess the

Under the system applied in the IUCN Red List database, species are classified in nine categories, set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation.

• Critically Endangered (CR) — extremely high risk of extinction
  in the wild.
• Endangered (EN) — High risk of extinction in the wild.
• Vulnerable (VU) — High risk of endangerment in the wild.
• Near Threatened
  (NT) — Likely to become endangered in the near future.
• Least Concern
  (LC) — Lowest risk; does not qualify for a more at-risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
• Data Deficient
  (DD) — Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.
• Not Evaluated (NE) — Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.^[22]

Justification [21]

1. The present
   Conservation dependent
   ) category.
2. Endemic species
3. Small range (regionally endemic)
4. Hunted or fished
5. Economic importance
6. Colony breeder (restricted number of breeding colonies/locations)
7. Needs large range
8. Specialised ecological requirements
9. Charismatic species drawing national and international attention
10. Prosecuted as perceived pest
11. Genetically different from South American counterpart

Amphibians

Because amphibians are especially sensitive to environmental contamination, they are considered excellent indicators of the health of an ecosystem.

From the mid-19th century, various scientific explorers such as Godman, Morelet and Salvin conducted herpetological research from samples collected in Belize and the surrounding Petén Basin.^[25] It was not until 1941, however, that herpetologist Karl P. Schmidt made the first attempt to summarise the various species of amphibians in Belize. His studies were summarised in a series of papers by Neill and Allen during the late 1950s and 1960s. Similar reports were later published by R. W. Henderson during the 1970s, C. J. McCoy between 1966 and 1990,^[25] and Campbell and Vannini (1989),^[26] Meerman (1993),^[27] Strafford (1994),^[28] and Meyer and Farneti-Foster (1996).^[24] These contributed to an increased understanding and an updated checklist of the amphibian species occurring in the country.^[25]

Birds

A total of 550 avian species have been recorded in Belize, including four globally threatened species. Although it has no politically endemic birds, the country is important for the protection of some 36 biome-restricted species.^[16] Situated at the northern end of the Mesoamerican mainland, Belize is an important flyway for migratory birds. This route, while still relatively healthy, is under constant threat from anthropogenic activities, including urban and coastal development and increasingly fragmented habitats.^[16] Other major concerns surrounding avian conservation in Belize are the effects of hunting and poaching on population trends. Recent marked declines in certain species has spurred a growing interest in engaging locals at all levels to monitor avian populations.^[16]

The early stages of bird conservation in Belize are attributed to the Belize Audubon Society, whose first conservation project was the

In 2004, BirdLife International, in partnership with the Belize Audubon Society, delineated six Important Bird Areas in the country,^[16] each representing an average of 347 species.^[32] While these areas are not formally protected areas, their identification serves to create awareness and guide future conservation initiatives aimed at avian biodiversity. The establishment of monitoring activities has been identified as a key priority in ascertaining the health of these areas.^[16]

Poaching is a serious concern for local bird conservationists. Because of the large

April, May and June are the months when illegal activities spike. Other species, such as the endangered curassow have also been illegally hunted.^[29]

The status of eagles in Belize was first summarised in a study by Jack C. Eitniear in 1986.^[33] Since then, many of the species recorded by Eitniear have declined as a result of shooting, poaching, and habitat and nest destruction.

A number of initiatives now exist for the conservation of eagle species in Belize. Among them is the Belize Harpy Eagle Restoration Program, started in 2003 by

Other avian-based conservation initiatives include Belize Bird Rescue, an organisation founded in April 2004 for the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned birds, with a particular focus on parrots.^[36]

Jaguar

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary was the world's first jaguar preserve,^[37] and is regarded as one of the most important areas for the conservation of the species.^[38]

Jaguars require a large, undisturbed territory with a high density of prey. For this reason, the species is coming increasingly under pressure from the expanding human impact on its environment. In 2005, Jan Meerman, the leading biologist in the government's conservation review committee, wrote:

Increasingly it becomes obvious that the long-term survival of jaguars in close proximity to human habitation and activities is unlikely. More and more the species will be driven back to the last 'wild areas' of the country.^[39]

Meerman's terminology was derived from a 2004 study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which identified two remaining "wild areas" in Belize:^[40]

• the Maya Mountains–Chiquibul–Cockscomb (southern) block (1,290,000 acres/520,000 hectares), which is isolated, and
• the Rio Bravo–Gallon Jug–Yalbac (northern) block (470,000 acres/190,000 hectares), which neighbours larger wilderness areas in Guatemala and southern México.

This amounts to total area of approximately 1,760,000 acres (710,000 ha). Because of the minimal human presence in these areas, it is probable that they will become the last strongholds of the jaguar within Belize.^[39] A state-sponsored analysis in 2005 estimated the population of adult jaguars within these two blocks to be around 400 and 200 respectively.^[39] A 2002 study by the National Autonomous University of Mexico concluded that for the long-term survival of jaguar populations, the minimum population should not fall below 650 adult individuals.^[41] Based on this, the last two potential strongholds for jaguars in Belize are—independently—insufficient to allow for conservation of the species in the long term. The survival of the population will therefore strongly depend on the preservation of narrow corridors allowing inter-migrations of jaguar populations from other areas, and in the northern block, the continued connection to adjacent populations across the border.^[39] The maintenance of a high-density prey base will also be an important factor.^[39]

Surveys conducted in 2004 by the WCS calculated the

The first of these, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, was declared in February 1986 the world's first jaguar preserve.^[42] Hunting has been prohibited in the area since 1984. Prior to its recent expansion, the reserve contained the highest density of jaguars ever recorded,^[43] and is regarded as one of the most important areas for the conservation of the species.^[38]

Manatee

The Antillean manatee, a subspecies of

• Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
• Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary
• Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary
• Port Honduras Marine Reserve

Collectively, these areas cover approximately 55% of the significant manatee distribution within Belize.^[44]

Other mammals

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2011)

Reptiles

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2011)

Grouper

Glover's Reef Marine Reserve protects one of only two viable spawning sites remaining of the endangered Nassau grouper.^[45]

Belize's maritime territory is home to 13 species of

Representative of the trend in grouper populations throughout the Caribbean is the endemic and now-endangered Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus),^[46] once one of the most commonly caught fishes in Belize.^[47] About one-third of the spawning aggregations sites for this species have disappeared due to over-fishing.^[47] Annual spawning occurs in specific locations on the outer reef shelf during the days around the full moon of December and January. Aggregations can range anywhere from a dozen to up to several thousand adult individuals and are usually in the same site each year, making an easy target for fishermen.^[48][50][51] This intensive harvesting of reproductively active individuals, often before they have had the chance to spawn,^[50] has resulted in a marked decline in both abundance and size.^[47][48][51] One site for example, Caye Glory, historically provided a catch of up to 1,200–1,800 Nassau groupers per boat per spawning season during the 1960s. In 2001, at the same site, fishers caught just 9 individuals out of an aggregation of 21 groupers.^[47] In addition, groupers typically take a long time to reach maturity.^[50] Because of this, over the past few years females have continued to decrease in average size, indicating that more mature females are being removed, leaving behind young females with fewer eggs.^[48]

A study in September 2002 determined that many of the spawning sites of the Nassau grouper were in fact "multi-species" aggregations with an average of between 6 and 7 species recorded at 16 sites during the January 2002 spawning season.^[52]

In November 2002, under pressure from environmental organisations, the government agreed to protect 11 of these sites from commercial fishing during the spawning season.^[53][54][55] The most significant of these are at Glover's Reef and Sandbore Caye, which have been identified as the only two viable sites remaining for the species, of nine historically known locations.^[45][46] At Glover's Reef, scientists documented an 80% decrease in grouper populations since the 1970s.^[47][51] In 2002, both the sites were declared special marine reserves, permanently closed to fishing.^[45] These and five other sites are regularly monitored by a taskforce of the Wildlife Conservation Society.^[54] Its report of the 2009 spawning season at Glover's Reef concluded that numbers were still in decline, and that the majority of the individuals recorded were immature and less than the legal minimum landing size.^[55]

In addition to the easily discernible

Corals

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2011)

Vegetation

Belize is widely regarded by experts as a highly

Forest cover facts:[56]

• Total forest area: 3,374,612 acres (13,657 km²)
• % of land area: 62.7%

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• Primary forest cover: 2,838,267 acres (11,486 km²)
• % of land area: 20.9%
• % total forest area: 34.0%

Studies conducted by various researchers estimate that between 1989 and 1994, forest covered between 65 and 67% of the country's total area; although one earlier study put the figure at over 74%. Prior to this, the extent of Belize's forests remains largely unknown. In 1959, a map was published estimating Belize's natural vegetation prior to colonial settlement of the territory, which showed forest cover at almost 89%. In 2004, it was approximated at around 62%, meaning that in the ten-year period between 1994 and 2004, the country lost a total of 561,473 hectares of forest cover.^[56]

A study conducted in 2010 by SERVIR (Sistema Regional de Visualización y Monitoreo) and CATHALAC (Centro del Agua del Trópico Húmedo para América Latina y El Caribe), retrospectively estimated the country's total forest cover datasets for 1980, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2004 and 2010.^[56] It drew on data from previous studies, but used remote sensing, and was recognised by the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO), of which Belize is a member.^[59] It reported that in mid-November 1980, Belize had around 4,200,000 acres (17,000 km²) (75.9%) of forest cover, which declined to 3,400,000 acres (14,000 km²) (62.7%) by late February 2010. This concluded that over the thirty-year period, 725,173 acres (2,934.67 km²) (17.4%) of the country's total forest area in 1980 had been lost by 2010, representing an average annual deforestation rate of 24,835 acres (100.50 km²) (0.6%) per year. It also concluded that the period with the highest average annual deforestation rate was 2000-2004, at 71,960 acres (291.2 km²) per year. This slowed to 15,101 acres (61.11 km²) per year in the subsequent period 2004-2010, which recorded the second lowest rate after 1980-1989.^[56]