Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System: World Heritage Site


Belize's Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996, is the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, consisting of seven sites, and is home to many threatened species including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile. Discover the Reef, Belize culture, food, fly fishing at Whipray Caye, (a caye devoted to Sustainable Tourism) and how the UN Foundation is helping to preserve the coastal area of Belize this week on Let's Travel!





Where we'll be exploring

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Belize

Belize, formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, composed of many cultures and speaking many languages. Although Kriol and Spanish are also widely spoken among the populace, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the south and west, and the Caribbean sea to the east. With 8,867 square miles (22,960 km²) of territory and 320,000 people (2008 est.), the population density is the lowest in the Central American region and one of the lowest in the world. However, the country's population growth rate, 2.21% is the highest in the region and one of the highest in the western hemisphere. Culturally, Belize considers itself to be both Caribbean and Central American.


Belize Barrier Reef, UNESCO's World Heritage Site

The Belize Barrier Reef is the world's second largest barrier reef system and the largest reef complex in the Atlantic-Caribbean area. Because of its high biodiversity, it was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1996 by UNESCO.

Home to over 500 species of fish and over 100 species of coral, it is estimated that only 10% of the species living in the reef have been discovered. The Reserve is actually made up of seven marine reserves, 450 cays and 3 atolls. A "cay" or a "key" is a small, sandy island that often forms on the surface of a coral reef.

One of the richest ecosystems in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef supports life in the ocean and for the people who live near it. The Reef, however, is also vulnerable to pollution, uncontrolled tourism and fishing, and damage from storms and rising ocean temperatures.



Guests

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Beverly Montgomery Cabral, Co-Owner
Whipray Caye Lodge


Advertising Design and Marketing career in Philadelphia, London, Scotland, Singapore and then back in PA with own company that segued into Interactive Marketing in the 90’s, also part-time college professor, then started a new life as resort owner in Belize with native Julian Cabral in 2002 at Whipray Caye, a 3-acre private island catering mainly to fly fishing guests, some of whom have been Julian’s clients for over 20 years.

Current Chairperson of Placencia Chapter of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, Secretary of the Board of Southern Environmental Association (formerly Friends of Nature and Friends of Laughing Bird Caye), member of the Belize Tourism Board Marketing Advisory Committee. Vigorous defender of the environment in Belize.

In 2008 Whipray Caye Lodge became the World Heritage Alliance's smallest member, and just one of 3 in Belize.






Julian Cabral, Co-Owner
Whipray Caye Lodge


Using his family's home on the cayes as the jumping off point, Julian spent many hours fishing with and learning from his dad, honing his instinct and skills. Today that passion for the sea has become his life.

Using Whipray Caye (which he now owns and operates since his dad retired) as a fly fishing base and home, Julian is usually the first one on the nearby flats when he is guiding.

Some of his customers are the same ones who knew him when he was just starting his fly fishing career over 18 years ago. Some are grandchildren of customers.

It was curiosity that got Julian into fly fishing, when two fishermen from Montana came to town with their fly rods looking for someone who knew the area. He took them to the flats, watched what they were doing, swapped a few stories, and a career was born.

With his personable smile and salty language, Julian engages his customers and guests in lively conversation while stalking those elusive permit, tarpon and bones on the hunt for the Grand Slam.

But, Julian is a purist, so don't expect to have a quick fix with bait on your line. He still feels that with game fishing the thrill is in the stalking, the catch, maybe a quick photo, and the release. No one works harder than a good fly fishing guide, and Julian is no exception - thinking nothing of getting up to catch a 4AM tide, and stalking the flats until dusk, then having a lively discussion for the next few hours over a hearty Belizean meal and a nice cold Belikin Beer in his restaurant (and he's also a great cook).

Julian ties his own flies and has created some that are reliable workhorses -- but he uses whatever he feels will work that day to catch fish - the real reason he's out there with his clients, anyway.

What does Julian like about being a fishing guide? Fishing is his life, and as long as he's fishing, he's happy.






Kate Dodson, Deputy Director of Sustainable Development
United Nations Foundation


Kate Dodson is the deputy director of sustainable development at the United Nations Foundation. In this role, Ms. Dodson manages the sustainable tourism portfolio at the Foundation, including the development of a new Sustainable Tourism Criteria and the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, an initiative launched in late 2005 with Expedia, Inc. to promote sustainable tourism and World Heritage conservation by engaging the travel industry, traveling public and local communities.

She also manages the Friends of World Heritage initiative, a grassroots outreach campaign targeted to the traveling public to raise awareness and funds to support community development around World Heritage sites. Additionally, Ms. Dodson works to identify new opportunities and partnerships to leverage the UN Foundation’s historic investment in World Heritage and sustainable development around the globe.

Ms. Dodson has many years of experience working with community-driven development and has traveled, worked and studied in several countries in Latin America. She has a master's degree in Indigenous Peoples' Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.






More Information

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The UN Foundation has worked to promote the conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site (inscribed in 1996 on the World Heritage List and in 2009 on the List of World Heritage in Danger) and the betterment of local communities adjacent to the reef since 2000. Below is a summary of major investments and partnerships that have addressed Belize.


World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism

In late 2005, Expedia, Inc and the UN Foundation established the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (WHA) with the mission of promoting and protecting World Heritage sites through sustainable tourism. Today, the WHA has more than sixty members, approximately 60% of which are from the travel industry. The WHA is active in 6 countries, benefitting more than 20 World Heritage sites.

The WHA has six members in Belize: Bacalar Chico Expeditions (community membership category), Black Orchid Resort, Lodge at Chaa Creek, Whipray Caye Lodge, Belize Tourism Board and Belize Tourism Industry Association. We have done live and online trainings for tourism industry staff on World Heritage and sustainable tourism (2007 and 2008).


Friends of World Heritage

Friends of World Heritage is a grassroots initiative dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the protection of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Through our website (www.friendsofworldheritage.org) we have raised the profile of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System WHS, the work of communities to protect the site, and how travelers can give back.

In October 2008, we partnered with the National Geographic Society and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to launch WildCam: Belize Barrier Reef as an awareness raising tool to raise the profile of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site (http://www.friendsofworldheritage.org/issues/preserve-and-protect/wildcams/wildcam-belize-reef.html).

Through our Friends of World Heritage Fund, individuals and companies have contributed more than $430,000 to support local community projects at select World Heritage sites. This includes five projects in Belize worth $150,000. These projects supported community ecotour guide trainings, improved signage and interpretation for visitors on the reef, reduce the pressures of overfishing, promote a new community-based homestay program, and many other activities by local partners to improve the conservation of the site.


Community Management for Protected Areas Conservation

Together with the UN Development Programme, the UN Foundation chose the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site to implement the Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation (COMPACT) project. Since 2000, COMPACT has provided small grants to community initiatives that contribute to World Heritage preservation and local development.

With support from UN Foundation and UNDP, community grantees have worked on environmental education; promotion of World Heritage; capacity building for alternative livelihoods to reduce pressure on marine reserves; improving local practices by fishers, tourists, and other users of the reef; and empowering groups to participate in collaborative site management. Notably, COMPACT works closely with the fishing and local tourism sectors, and has changed their relation with the World Heritage site. The overall effect has been to help build a broader grassroots constituency for the conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.


Promoting Sustainable Tourism Management at World Heritage sites

Together with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, The Nature Conservancy and the Belize Audubon Society, the UN Foundation has also supported the development of new management plans for several of the protected areas inside Belize Barrier Reef. Through public use planning, protected areas aim to manage recreational, academic and extractive activities, so that these do not harm the natural values of the sites.

The focus of the work is on the Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole National Monuments. We are also improving signage to enhance the experience of the tourist and to protect fragile areas of the ecosystem. Lastly, we are also working with community producers to improve business knowledge and product development.


International Coral Reef Action Network

The ICRAN Mesoamerican Reef Alliance (MAR) project was a $1.5M, collaborative three year effort aimed at confronting the decline of coral reef ecosystems and improving the economic and environmental sustainability of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef through capacity building activities, the development of better practices, and building of partnerships with the private sector. The project was funded jointly by the UN Foundation and USAID, and was carried out by the World Wildlife Fund, the World Resources Institute and Reef Check under the coordination of the UN Environment Programme.

The project addressed three areas that impact reef health: watershed management, fisheries, and marine tourism. The outputs of the project included tools for the prediction of future land use impacts on the reef, a manual for best fishing practices among local fishermen communities, and a Tourism Standards and Code Taskforce - a process lead by the tourism industry that produced a set of standards and a code of conduct for sustainable marine recreation activities.