With the intentions of educating the public on the importance of this great natural reserve and to further promote the area as a tourist attraction, Director of Green Reef, Mito Paz officially launched the 400-plus field guide to the Bacalar Chico Natural Reserve. The book launch took place at Rico's Bar and Grill on Sunday, December 21, 2008.
It took over two years to full accomplish and with a sigh of relief, Mito Paz was glad to launch the book that is filled with powerful and important information that teaches more about the importance of the natural reserve that has been designated a World Heritage Site.
Honorable Manuel Heredia was on hand to launch the book and was handed the first autographed copy of the guide by Mr. Paz. "The book is ideal for students to learn about the area and for local tourist guides to use as a handbook in their tours," commented Mito. "I highly recommend the guide to just about everyone. It had great wealth of information, which includes vivid pictures of the flora and fauna of the area."
The guide contains history of Bacalar which is located at the northern-most end of Ambergris Caye, bordering Chetumal, Mexico. The area encompasses a total of 28,169 acres, a third of it consisting of water in the form of lagoons, creeks, salt marsh and wetlands. Vivid pictures include that of the many animal and plants that inhabit the area.
The field guide was finalized through funding from the Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation Program (COMPACT) and is available at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve Office located on Caribe�a Street. For more information on the Bacalar Chico Reserve you can also log in at
www.bacalarchico.org, but for an in-depth study of the reserve, the book is a must by.
*Milk chocolate: Belizean cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa liquor, milk powder, organic vanilla and soy lecithin. [Milk chocolate usually contains up to 45%.]
Ambergristoday.com