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WWF in Belize In a region ravaged by environmental degradation and natural resource exploitation, Belize has the distinction of being one of its few unspoilt spots. Unlike its neighbours, this tiny Central American nation has succeeded in retaining its rich biological diversity. Most of its natural environment is undamaged. Around 50-60 per cent of the country is forested -- the highest ratio of forest cover to total national area in the region. And the deforestation rate is the lowest in Central America. Belize is therefore an important refuge for a wide variety of rare plant and animal species. There are over 530 recorded bird species here, many of which are North American migrants. More than 4,000 flowering plant species can be found here, besides 200 varieties of orchid and about 700 tree species. CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora) classifies 22 of Belize's species as rare or endangered. And all but four of these are still common in the country. Belize also has a barrier reef that measures over 220 km, making it the second longest in the world, and the most important in the New World. The reef formation includes oceanic atolls, patch reef, lagoons, sea grass beds, and mangroves. Rated as one of the world's most pristine reefs by experts, it is being considered for listing as a World Heritage Site. Although its environmental record so far is enviable, Belize needs to guard against potential damage from the influx of political, economic and ecological refugees from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Between 5,000 and 15,000 immigrants cross into Belize every year, bringing with them environmentally-unfriendly agricultural practices such as slash-and-burn, which damage the forests irreparably. Belize's forests are also being threatened by foreign investors who clear large areas to establish citrus groves and sugarcane plantations -- the country's two most profitable exports. Belize is heavily dependent on agriculture, including forestry and fisheries, which employs one third of its work force and accounts for about half of the gross domestic product. Wildlife is also falling victim to North American hunters who come to Belize in pursuit of rare species such as jaguar and puma. Besides, refugee-immigrants kill and eat a variety of animals, including deer, paca, agouti, paccaries, and armadillo. Meanwhile, overfishing has severely depleted seawater fish and crustacea populations. And the fragile offshore reefs are suffering from the growing popularity of scuba diving in the area. WWF is actively involved in conservation efforts in the country. It first became active here in 1984 when it provided grants for primate and river turtle preservation projects. Since then, Belize has become a focal country within WWF's Central America programme. It has so far received funds amounting to nearly US $650,000. Most of this money has been spent on protecting the country's wildlands and wildlife, and on developing a national environmental education programme. In 1986, WWF helped create the country's first national reserve, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. This reserve harbours prime jaguar habitat and important populations of a number of rare mammals. In the same year, WWF also sponsored and was closely involved in organizing Belize's first national conference on conservation and development. The organization has been funding the establishment of a Conservation Division within the government's Forestry Department. Until this is fully operational, management of Belize's small but significant protected area system has been delegated to the Belize Audubon Society (BAS). BAS is the country's leading non-governmental conservation organization and WWF's main partner in Belize. WWF supports BAS in carrying out a variety of education, protected area management, and public policy watchdog tasks. One of the main aims of WWF and BAS has been to protect the jaguar. They have succeeded in expanding the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary almost 30-fold, from 1,457 ha to 41,457 ha. Local villagers were also involved in the effort, helping to protect and monitor the sanctuary, acting as tour guides and guards and selling local handicrafts to tourists. For the past six years, WWF has been funding a BAS project to protect the endangered black howler monkey, a species that can now be found only in Belize, eastern Mexico, and northern Guatemala. BAS is working with eight small towns in central Belize where some 100 local farming families have set aside tracts of privately-owned forest and stands of the howlers' favourite fruit trees to form a sanctuary for the monkey. As a result of these efforts, the population of Belize's howler monkeys has risen from 800 to 1,300. Aside from these activities, WWF is concentrating its efforts on the coastal zone and the Maya Mountain complex in the southern part of the country. Projects include educational outreach, institutional building, and policy development.
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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature