Global 200 Ecoregions

Jewel of the Caribbean
Meso-american Caribbean Reef


 
Major Habitat Type
Coral Reef and associated marine ecosystems

Biogeographic Region
Caribbean Sea

Location
Caribbean of Central America and Mexico (Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico)




Biological Diversity

The People

The Threat

The Response

The Challenge


Summary

Fourteen per cent of the world's coral reefs are like a treasure submerged beneath the surface of the wider Caribbean region, and the jewel of the Caribbean is the Meso-american Caribbean Reef. Stretching up to 220 kilometres, this fourth longest barrier reef in the world reaches from the Yucatan Peninsula in the north to the Bay Islands in the south. The almost continuous reef is unique in the western hemisphere because of its size, array of reef types, luxuriance of corals, and pristine condition. Like Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the diverse conditions of the ecoregion represent one of the greatest manifestations of life on Earth: it was declared a World Heritage Site in December 1996. Compared with many other parts of the Caribbean, the coral, coastal and marine environments of this area are still relatively intact.

The vast arc of the reef skirts the coastline only a few hundred metres offshore along Ambergris Cay to the north, but lies about 40 kilometres from the coast in the south. Scattered along the reef, and pocketed between the reef and the mainland, are hundreds of cays, most of which are mangrove islands. On the seaward side lie three large atolls: Turneffe Islands, Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef, the latter considered the best example of an atoll in the Caribbean. On Lighthouse Reef, the Blue Hole, a collapsed karst dome, forms a vertical cave 144 metres deep.

The barrier reef complex is one of the region's greatest natural assets: its massive structure provides an important defence against storms and erosion while the living reef and associated ecosystems support many important social and economic services, from recreation to the production of food fish.

With ecotourism one of the leading industries in the ecoregion, it is important that human use and economic activities derived from the coastal zone are wisely managed. Authorities are aware that while ecotourism represents a great potential source of revenue, many sites could be seriously threatened unless proper management is implemented.



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