Belize harbors a large stretch of the Mesoamerican Reef — the world’s second-largest barrier reef. The waters surrounding the reef teem with life and are home to colorful corals, commercially important fish such as Nassau grouper and mutton snapper, as well as lemon sharks, nurse sharks and the world’s biggest fish, the whale shark.  

The Nature Conservancy concentrates its efforts in two important marine regions here: the Southern Belize Reef Complex and the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The focus of our work is supporting the management of marine protected areas (MPAs) and maintaining sustainable fisheries.

This is done by:

• Monitoring coral reefs for resiliency and disease, and
• Monitoring and protecting the life cycles of commercially important fish species for future generations.

The Southern Belize Reef Complex

The Southern Belize Reef Complex (SBRC) stretches southwards from the northern boundary of South Water Caye Marine Reserve to the northern boundary of Port Honduras Marine Reserve, and south-eastwards from the coastline of Belize to the Sapodilla Cayes and the outer reef. 

The SBRC is characterized by its variety of reef structures and ecosystems considered the most biodiverse in the region. The SBRC encompasses four protected areas: Laughing Bird Caye National Park, Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserves, and South Water Caye Marine Reserve.

It also includes at least four critical spawning aggregation sites, including Gladden Spit, the largest known aggregation in the Mesomerican Reef.

Spawning Aggregations: “Cloudy, Swirling Mating Dances”

The Gladden Spit Marine Reserve is located near the fishing village of Placencia. More than 30 different species of fish spawn here on nights near the full moon, coming together in cloudy, swirling mating dances known as spawning aggregations. 

Whale sharks follow the fish to feed on the fresh eggs and cluster in large numbers forming one of the largest gatherings of whale sharks in the world. The whale sharks continue to come as long as the fish spawn in these areas.

For generations fishers have followed the whale sharks and descended on these sites to feast on the seas’ fluid bounty. The Nature Conservancy worked closely with fishers, local and international non-governmental organization (NGOs) and the government of Belize to identify 13 spawning aggregation sites here.

The Conservancy was instrumental in providing the Belizean government with the data to legally protect these sites. They are now declared as no-take zones to allow sufficient time for the fish to reproduce. The Conservancy is also supporting local partners in managing and monitoring these sites.

Managing Marine Areas for Fish and People

Gladden Spit is recognized by the conservation community as the most efficiently managed marine reserve in Belize. In August 2008, the Conservancy completed a Conservation Action Plan (CAP) for the entire SBRC complex that will help expand patrolling efforts and foster greater collaboration through a comprehensive protected areas system for southern Belize.

In 2008, the Conservancy also led a fisher exchange between fishers from Belize and Jamaica to share ideas and best practices. Though they live in different parts of the Caribbean, fishers from the region face similar challenges — how to protect the waters they depend upon from threats such as over-fishing and pollution.

In Belize, the fishers’ lives have historically and culturally been intertwined with the sea. This is the only way of life they have known and it has been passed down to them from previous generations. The Conservancy recognizes that, in the short-term, creating no-take zones can hinder the fishers’ abilities to feed their families if not planned properly.

The Conservancy is working with local partner Friends of Nature to train some of these fishers as certified dive and sport-fishing guides. Some of them are earning more through these alternate livelihoods and are helping convince their counterparts of the benefits of protecting spawning aggregation sites. 

Lighthouse Reef Atoll’s Many Natural Wonders

Lighthouse Reef Atoll has some of the most intact reef ecosystems along the entire Mesoamerican Reef. It is home to the Great Blue Hole — one of the largest marine sink holes and a world renowned diving destination. 

This and Half Moon Caye are designated as part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System — a World Heritage Site and important marine tourist destination. Half Moon Caye harbors the last viable breeding population of white-phase red-footed booby birds in the Caribbean.

Lighthouse Reef also harbors Belize’s largest Nassau grouper spawning aggregation. The Conservancy is monitoring the health of the groupers by tagging them and studying them via an acoustic monitoring system that will track their movements for three years. 

Protecting Healthy, Resilient Reefs

Coral reefs are threatened by pollution, physical destruction and increases in sea temperature that result in coral bleaching. The Conservancy is pioneering a method called reef resiliency that protects those corals that can withstand such threats, especially from bleaching events. 

In Belize, the Conservancy is working with local conservation organizations and the government to build networks of resilient reefs across the entire reef. This not only protects the reef, but also protects whale sharks, endangered species and fisheries that rely on healthy reefs for survival.

In 2006, scientists from the Conservancy and other conservation organizations surveyed 140 sites in Belize to determine the effects of coral reef bleaching. Of these sites, 64 were identified as potentially resilient. The study also indicated that live coral cover has declined by almost half across Belize. The most recent research reveals that coral bleaching is affecting the reefs off the coast of Belize.

The Conservancy works along the length of the Mesoamerican Reef to help ensure the reef will continue to provide food and shelter for all of the plants, animals and people that depend upon it for survival.
 

Nature picture credits (left to right, top to bottom): Photo © Andy Drumm (whale shark); Photo © Daniel & Robbie Wisdom (spawning aggregation); © Astrida Valigorsky (Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize)