Belize Barrier Reef

The Barrier Reef of Belize in the Caribbean is the longest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere and the second after the Australian Great Barrier Reef.

Innumerable coral islands surround the 256 kilometers of the coral reef and make all kinds of water sports possible. It is a paradise for fishermen, divers and snorkelers. The reef is populated by 350 species of fish. Along the Barrier Reef of Belize are many small islands, the so-called Cayes. The best known are Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, St. Georges Caye, Tobacco Caye and South Water Caye.

With three of the four Caribbean atolls, Belize also has the highest density of such atolls in the Caribbean. The Great Blue Hole in the middle of Lighthouse Reef is approximately 80 km from Belize City. Originally it was a cave that collapsed when the land collapsed 10,000 years ago. A circle of 330 meters in diameter can be seen on the surface of the sea. The blue hole is 130 meters deep and offers an incomparable diving experience between stalactites and stalagmites. Known for the Jacques Cousteau television films, they are now the most famous dive sites in Belize.

The Reserve System of the Barrier Reef of Belize is a series of coral reefs that are located at a variable distance from the coast of Belize, about 300 meters from the coast in the north and about 40 kilometers in the south. It has an approximate length of 300 kilometers, and is part of the Mesoamerican Reef System, the second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. It is the most important tourist destination in Belize, attracting half of its 260,000 visitors, it is also vital for its fishing industry.

It is estimated that it began to form about 500 million years ago before man existed. It is one of the largest coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea and the planet. There is a fascinating formation called El Ojo, which is nothing more than a coral atoll. It has a great diversity of species, including the sharkcoral and the lemon shark, as well as soft coral species such as the marine fan, and hard species such as brain coral. Among the colors of corals can be white, green, pink, red, violet, and even black. There are also many fish of various colors and so they can be confused with the coral reef, so it is said to be home to a great marine life. It measures about 350 kilometers long and about 25 kilometers off the coast. It forms a resplendent white line from Ambergis Caye, in northern Belize to Ranguana Cay, to the south. This great coral reef and on the coasts the sea is very calm because the barrier stops strong waves.

The combination of the effects of hurricanes and very warm waters can have a devastating effect on the reefs, which Belize has already experienced with Hurricane Mitch (1998), as there was a 50% loss in coral life in 1997-1998, due to sedimentation and hurricane rains (Cesar et al, 2003).

Charles Darwin described it as the most important barrier of the East Indies in 1842.

The species

The coral reef of Belize is the habitat of a great variety of plants and animals, it is the most diverse ecosystem in the world:

• 70 species of hard coral.
• 36 species of soft coral, with the species Alcyonacea.
• 500 species of fish.
• Hundreds of invertebrate species.

It is estimated that only 10% of all species have been discovered, so the remaining 90% should still be investigated.

Topography

The Belize Barrier Reef is composed of three main atolls, the Atoll Turneffe, the Lighthouse Reef and Glover reefs and numerous cays such as Ambergris Caye, the cay Mauger, the cay Ranguana etc. which belong to the different coastal districts. It is the main tourist destination of Belize in terms of attendance. Different islands are classified as marine protected area or national monument or world heritage of UNESCO.

Geography

The Belize Barrier Reef stretches over 256 km from the Yucatán Peninsula to Belize (formerly British Honduras) and the Islas de la Bahía, to the east of the Honduran north coast. About 450 Cayes, from coral and sand deposits formed small islands line the reef. The best known are Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Blackadore Caye and Long Caye, St. George's Caye is historically significant.

Environmental protection

A large part of the reef is protected by the Belize Reef Barrier Reserve System, which includes seven sea reserves, 450 keys, and three atolls. This totals a total of 960 km² of surface, including:

• Glover's Reef Marine Reserve
• The big blue hole
• Half Moon Caye Natural Monument
• Hol Chan Marine Reserve
• And the keys of: Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, Cayo San Jorge, English Caye, Rendezvous Caye, Gladden Caye, Ranguana Caye, Long Caye, Maho Caye, Blackbird Caye, Three Coner Caye.

Because of its exceptional natural beauty, its ecological and biological processes, and that it contains the most important habitats for the conservation of biological diversity (criteria VII, IX, and X), the Reserve System has been elevated to the category of World Heritage in 1996.

Despite these protective measures, the reef is threatened by ocean pollution, uncontrolled tourism, maritime traffic and fishing. Hurricanes, global warming and rising ocean temperatures are other significant threats. These are the causes of coral bleaching, since 1998 40% of the Belize coral reef has been affected by this phenomenon. Because of this, the UNESCO Committee decided to include it in 2009 in the list of World Heritage in danger.

Ecosystems and protection

The network of reserves Reef Belize Barrier is registered in the world heritage of UNESCO in 1996. The site is on the list of World Heritage in Danger in 2009, before being retired in 2018 consecutively "to intensive period of implementation of historic conservation actions and measures during the past year".

Fauna and flora

The reef is home to over 350 species of fish. About 65 types of coral occur. The inventory of the fauna and flora of the reef is far from complete. An estimated 90% of the reef's small invertebrates have not yet been explored.

Usage

The reef has been fished since the times of the Maya. Because of its abundance of fish, it has also been used for commercial fishing since the 20th century, also by anglers. In 2010 fishing with trawlers off the coast of Belize was banned.

Since the 1950s, the reef has been used more and more for many types of water sports, especially by divers and snorkelers.

Atolls

With three out of four Caribbean atolls, Belize has the largest density of such atolls in the Caribbean. The Great Blue Hole in the middle of Lighthouse Reef is approximately 80 km from Belize City. Originally, it was a cave that collapsed when land sank into the sea around 10,000 years ago. On the surface of the sea, a circle of 330 meters in diameter is visible. The Blue Hole is 124 meters deep and filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Made famous by Jacques Cousteau's television film, it is the most famous diving area in Belize.

Philately

In 1984 and 1985, the Belize Barrier Reef issued some stamps to the attention of philatelists under the postal administration of the Cayes of Belize (in French "Cayes du Belize". These stamps were not recognized by Belize and the UPU but some have managed to circulate, most often out of convenience.

Conservation

Some of the islands and reef sections are protected as a national park or marine reserve. These include the Bacalar Chico and Laughing Bird Caye National Parks, the Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye national parks, and the South Wather Caye, Glover's Reef and Sapodilla Cayes Reserves. These areas are also on the 1996 UNESCO list of World Heritage.

In Belize too, the coral reefs suffer from coral bleaching. In addition, mangroves were cut down to a large extent. The barrier reef of Belize was therefore placed on the Red List of the endangered world heritage of UNESCO. In 2015, Belize prohibited oil drilling in the sea. This step was one of the conditions for removal from the Red List. On 26 June 2018, the reef could be removed from the red list again.