The Belize Barrier Reef is a 300km section of the 900km long Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest coral reef system in the world, which Charles Darwin described as “the most remarkable reef in the West Indies” in 1842. With only 10% of the reef properly researched, it is already a recorded home to 100 species of coral and 500 species of fish and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996.
Mexico Rocks is a shallow complex of some 100 clustered patch reefs along a limestone ridge. Popular with both snorkelers and SCUBA divers it was recommended for preservation in 1978 and officially recognized in 2015.
Belize was the first country in the world to completely ban bottom
trawling in 2010 and in 2015 banned offshore drilling within 1k of the
reef. Despite these measures it suffers the same risks as all reefs and
an estimated 40% has already been damaged by human impact.
In addition to environmental damage, much of the reef is also suffering
from invasive Lionfish. With a voracious appetite, venomous spines, and
no natural predators, these fish are taking a significant toll on local
species. Fortunately the people of Belize are actively taking steps to
curtail their numbers with bounties for local fisherman and eager offers
to take tourists spear fishing with civeche for dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment