South Water Caye Marine Reserve
| South Water Caye Marine Reserve | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
  Location within Belize | |
| Location | Gulf of Honduras, Belize |
| Nearest city | Dangriga |
| Coordinates | 16°49′9.29″N 88°5′0.68″W / 16.8192472°N 88.0835222°W[1] |
| Area | 117,875 acres (47,702 ha)[1] |
| Established | 1996 |
| Governing body | Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment |
South Water Caye Marine Reserve is the second largest marine reserve in Belize.[1] It was designated a marine reserve in 1996 by the Belize Fisheries Department and is managed by that organization.[1][2] It covers 117,875 acres (47,702 ha) of mangrove and coastal ecosystems in Stann Creek District.[1][3] It is part of the Belize Barrier Reef System, which was named a World Heritage Site in 1996,[4] and is designated an IV Habitat/Species Management Area.[2]
Geography
The reserve is located on the inner side of the Belize Barrier Reef and is 18 kilometres (11 mi)[1] or between 8 to 25 kilometres (5.0 to 15.5 mi)[2] off the coast of the mainland of Belize. It is over 40 kilometres (25 mi) long.[2]
It includes ecologically important mangrove cayes such as Pelican Cayes (considered "one of the most biodiverse marine systems within the western hemisphere"), Twin Cayes,[1] and Man-O-War Caye (previously designated a Crown Reserve in 1977).[2] (Some privately owned cayes are not part of the reserve.[2])
Flora and fauna
The reserve provides a habitat for at least 24 species that are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered: five coral species, three turtle, 15 fish and the West Indian manatee.[5]
While many of the cayes are dominated by mangroves, some have shrub and coconut vegetation.[2]
Archaeology
Concerns
Despite its protected status, most of the reserve's cayes have been leased for resort development and large areas of mangroves have been cut down. A 2009 study found that of the Pelican Cayes' 53.3 hectares (132 acres) area, 15.4 hectares (38 acres) (29%) of mangrove forests had been cleared.[6] Manatee Caye, Northeast Caye and all but one of the Bird Cayes have also begun to be developed.[6] In 2008, aerial photographs showed that mangroves had been removed from two of the Pelican Cayes; the government offered no explanation.[2]
Illegal fishing is also a problem.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "South Water Caye Marine Reserve". Belize Fisheries Department. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System". International Union for Conservation of Nature and UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ↑ Belize Tropical Forest Studies (2010). "South Water Caye Marine Reserve". Biodiversity and Environmental Resource Data System. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012.
- ↑ "Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System". UNESCO. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Project for the Conservation of Marine Resources in Central America ... South Water Caye Marine Resource / Belize" (PDF). Mesoamerican Reef Fund. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- 1 2 Borski, Christine (19 August 2013). "Development of Mangrove Islands within the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System". Retrieved 29 May 2026.
External links
Media related to South Water Caye at Wikimedia Commons- Official website