Flora of Belize
The flora of Belize is highly diverse by regional standards, given the country's small geographical extent. Situated on the Caribbean coast of northern
Vegetation types
The vegetation of Belize was first systematically surveyed in the 1930s.[3] Recent mapping projects have employed the following principal terrestrial and coastal categories of native vegetation:[4]
- lowland broad-leaved forest. This is a diverse forest type in Belize, now greatly reduced in extent by clearance for agricultural land. It includes such tropical tree species as Simarouba glauca, Calophyllum brasiliense, Terminalia amazonia and Pterocarpus officinalis.
- lowland savanna. This is an important vegetation type in northern Belize, in which scattered trees occur in "short grass" (actually mainly sedges). Savanna is maintained as open vegetation by a combination of wet-season flooding, dry-season drought and fire. Typical trees include: Acoelorrhaphe wrightii, Quercus oleoides and madre de cacao Gliricidia sepium.
- lowland pine forest or pine savanna (open forest mainly composed of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensiswith shrubs such as the rough-leaved "sandpaper tree" (Curatella americana).
- submontane pine forest (with Pinus rudistogether with some broadleaved species)
- submontane broadleaved forest. Characteristic vegetation of the Maya Mountain massif above 500m. Typical species include Podocarpus guatemalensis, Swietenia macrophylla, Terminalia amazonia, Virola brachycarpa, and the palm Astrocaryum mexicanum.
- mangrove and littoral forest. Ecologically important vegetation type of the coastal cayes. Several species of mangrove are involved including: red mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). In addition the buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) although not a true mangrove is often associated with mangroves in littoral forest. Also see the section on mangrovesbelow.
- seagrass beds. Sandy bays often have extensive mats of manatee seagrass (Syringodium filiforme in the Cymodoceaceae), duckweed seagrasses (Halodule spp in the Cymodoceaceae).
- riparian shrubland. This is a mixed vegetation type, of shrubs and small trees with grasses and sedges, found along watercourses. Typical species include Schizolobium and Ceiba pentandra. Loss of this habitat was one of the particular environmental concerns of building the Chalillo Dam on the Macal river.
Plant conservation and forest reserves
Although deforestation continues to be a threat to Belize's natural environment[5] - and to the natural environment of almost all countries in Latin America - much of the native forest remains, facilitating a burgeoning ecotourism sector. The National Parks System Act of 1981 declared numerous protected areas, and the Belizean Government has been working with a prominent non-governmental organization (NGO), the Belize Audubon Society (BAS) to promote nature conservation within the country. Founded in 1969, the BAS assists the Forest Department of the Government of Belize to manage several important forest areas including:
- Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary - established in 1990 as a result of the studies of the biology of the jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz. Although initially established for jaguar conservation it is very important for plant conservation.
- Guanacaste National park - approximately fifty acres of tropical forest reserve in the Cayo District of Belize. The signature tree of the reserve is the Guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) of which several giant specimens may be found.
- Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve - a forest reserve of 6,750 acres (27 km2), in the Maya Mountains with rugged (karst) relief and relatively undisturbed subtropical moist forest.
In addition to the above there are numerous other important forest reserves such as:
- Chiquibul Forest Reserve (CFR)
There are numerous conservation challenges in Belize. One is the extensive recent illegal cutting of the understorey palm's xate (Chamaedorea spp.). This has a severe effect on the health and reproduction of these characteristic understorey components.[6]
Forests and Deforestation
A remote sensing study conducted by the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) and NASA, in collaboration with the Forest Department and the Land Information Centre (LIC) of the Government of Belize's Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE), and published in August 2010 revealed that Belize's forest cover in early 2010 was approximately 62.7%, down from 75.9% in late 1980.[5]
A similar study
Belize had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.15/10, ranking it 85th globally out of 172 countries.[8]
Mangroves
While many consider
A recent study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) indicates that Belize's mangrove ecosystems contribute US $174–249 million per year to the national economy.[11] The clearing of mangroves for development of coastal infrastructure has been recognized as a threat to Belize's mangroves and led to public perception that destruction of mangrove ecosystems was rampant, such as an investigative study in 2008 which indicated unauthorized clearings within the South Water Caye Marine Reserve,[12] and which eventually led to the Belize Barrier Reef System's designation by UNESCO as an endangered World Heritage Site.[13]
With uncertainty regarding actual rates of clearing of Belize's mangrove ecosystems, a recent study
Belize's relative mangrove cover declined by 2% from 1980–2010, and in that period, under 4,000 acres of mangroves had been cleared, although clearing of mangroves near Belize's main coastal settlements (e.g. Belize City and San Pedro) was relatively high. The rate of loss of Belize's mangroves - at 0.07% per year between 1980 and 2010 - was much lower than Belize's overall rate of forest clearing (0.6% per year between 1980 and 2010).[17]
Trees
As well as logwood (
Orchids
Belize has a rich array (some 300 species) of native orchids
Palms
Belizean vegetation is characterized by numerous species of
See also
References
- ^ Gentry, A.H. 1982. Neotropical floristic diversity: phytogeographical connections between Central and South America, Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, or an accident of the Andean orogeny? Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 69, 557-593
- ^ Brewer, S. et al. 2003 J. Biogeography 30: 1669- 1688
- ^ Standley, P.C. and Record, S.J. 1936. The forests and flora of British Honduras. Fieldiana, Bot. 12: 1-432
- ^ "BERDS > Mapping". Archived from the original on 2006-06-24. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ a b Cherrington, E.A., Ek, E., Cho, P., Howell, B.F., Hernandez, B.E., Anderson, E.R., Flores, A.I., Garcia, B.C., Sempris, E., and D.E. Irwin. (2010) “Forest cover and Deforestation in Belize: 1980-2010.” Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean. Panama City, Panama. 42 pp. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Xaté palms (Chamaedorea spp.) in Belize - Natural History Museum". Archived from the original on 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ "Biodiversity in Belize - Deforestation". biological-diversity.info. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- PMID 33293507.
- ^ Murray, M.R., Zisman, S.A., Furley, P.A., Munro, D.M., Gibson, J., Ratter, J., Bridgewater, S., Mity, C.D., and C.J. Place. 2003. "The Mangroves of Belize: Part 1. Distribution, Composition and Classification." Forest Ecology and Management 174: 265–279
- ^ Government of Belize (GOB). 2003. "Forests Act Subsidiary Laws." Chapter 213 in: Substantive Laws of Belize. Revised Edition 2003. Government Printer: Belmopan, Belize. 137 pp. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Cooper, E., Burke, L., and N. Bood. 2009. "Coastal Capital: Belize. The Contribution of Belize's Coral Reefs and Mangroves." WRI Working Paper. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. 53 pp. http://pdf.wri.org/working_papers/coastal_capital_belize_wp.pdf
- ^ http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/art/Pelican_Review.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System and Colombia's los Katios National Park enter UNESCO's Danger List".
- ^ Cherrington, E.A., Hernandez, B.E., Trejos, N.A., Smith, O.A., Anderson, E.R., Flores, A.I., and B.C. Garcia. 2010. "Identification of Threatened and Resilient Mangroves in the Belize Barrier Reef System." Technical report to the World Wildlife Fund. Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) / Regional Visualization & Monitoring System (SERVIR). 28 pp. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Zisman, S.A. 1998. "Sustainability or Status Quo: Elite Influence and the Political Ecology of Mangrove Exploitation in Belize." Doctoral dissertation, Department of Geography, University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh, Scotland
- ^ The Nature Conservancy (TNC). 2010a. ""World Atlas of Mangroves" Highlights the Importance of and Threats to Mangroves: Mangroves among World's Most Valuable Ecosystems." Press release. Arlington, Virginia. http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press4573.html Archived 2010-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cherrington, E.A., Ek, E., Cho, P., Howell, B.F., Hernandez, B.E., Anderson, E.R., Flores, A.I., Garcia, B.C., Sempris, E., and D.E. Irwin. 2010. "Forest Cover and Deforestation in Belize: 1980-2010." Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean. Panama City, Panama. 42 pp. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Green, Kim (10 February 2012). "Belize Flora (and fauna)". The Greenery. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Williams, L.O. (1956). An enumeration of the Orchidaceae of Central America, British Honduras, and Panama. Ceiba 5: 1-256
- ^ "Biodiversity in Belize - Orchids". biological-diversity.info. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
Further reading
- Hodel, D (1992). Chamaedorea palms. Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas.
- Forest Cover and Deforestation in Belize: 1980-2010 CATHALAC / NASA / Belize Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment / SERVIR. August 2010.
- Identification of Threatened and Resilient Mangroves in the Belize Barrier Reef System CATHALAC / WWF / NASA / SERVIR. October 2010.