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In 2018 the Government of Belize revised and enacted its Mangroves Regulations, placing greater emphasis on the management and conservation of mangroves in critical areas on the mainland and on the cayes. Failure to comply with these Regulations could entail fines or even imprisonment.

This message is part of the awareness raising actions towards the importance of mangroves protection in Belize we are carrying out together with Belize Forest Department, Fisheries Department - Belize, Pew Environment, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute.

From Aces Wildlife Rescue:

As well as filtering water, providing habitat to thousands of species, protecting our coastlines and holding the land together, mangrove forests are essential in the fight against climate change.

A mangrove forest can store 2-10 times more carbon in the soil than a similar sized terrestrial forest (the actual amount varies depending on which forest you're comparing data on). Even the Amazon Rainforest, considered by many to be the lungs of the earth, pales in comparison to mangroves carbon storing ability.

So what happens when mangroves are ripped out and destroyed? Not only does it threaten the lives and safety of the creatures that inhabit the mangrove, but thousands of years worth of carbon is released back into the atmosphere! And when you consider that it's common practice here to fill the newly destroyed wetlands with garbage to create solid "land" to build on, it leaves one baffled that the municipal authorities haven't stepped in to knock this insanely destructive practice on the head.

According to recent studies, mangroves only account for about 0.6% of tropical forests, but the deforestation of these mangrove forests is responsible for up to 12% of greenhouse gas emissions!! That's insane! And then we go ahead and pile garbage on top to make sure the water as well as the air gets polluted. Wicked smart.

Let's look to changing bad habits this Mangrove Monday, and look to the bigger picture.

Have you taken steps to conserve #mangrove on your property in Belize? This is an opportunity for Belizean landowners, developers and interested groups to participate. Will you take up the MangroveChallenge?

Visit: https://wwfca-apps.org/MangroveFriendlyChallenge2021/

A picture speaks a thousand words.

Let the Mangrove appreciation continue! Every year on July 26th, the International Day for the Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystems is observed! It aims to raise awareness of the IMPORTANCE of mangrove ecosystems as unique and vulnerable ecosystems and to promote solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and uses.

Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline by reducing erosion, mangroves protect water quality, absorb water during heavy rain and provide shelter for a range of wildlife species! Mangroves are pretty SPECIAL!

Check out this video on mangroves produced under the REDD+ project!

Protecting the Mangroves Protects the Reef

Since Hurricane Lisa, I have seen a few posts highlighting what the reef did for us in mitigating the effects of the storm surge - and they're not wrong. Early Wednesday morning when the ocean was calm before the storm, you could see the reef getting pounded. It was clear from here the size of the waves being held back, and undoubtedly, the impact along the beaches and the aftermath along the coast of Ambergris would have been much more severe without her protection. And for this, she is well protected in return.

Why are the mangrove not afforded the same protection? If the reef was treated in the same manner as the mangrove, there would be an uproar. Anytime someone makes a seamanship error and wrecks on the reef, people lose their minds over it. Yet people will take a machete to mangrove without a second thought. Mangrove is an acceptable dumping ground illegally used by many with zero investigation or repercussions, and a look at any real estate map will show acre upon acre upon acre of mangrove forest subdivided into lots.

The reef is fragile. What do we think will happen to it when the mangrove is gone? When the tannins in the water are no longer preventing reef bleaching? How will the reef react when there are no mangrove roots left to trap sediments and filter waste water running off the land? Who will graze on the reef and clean it when there's no where for fish to breed or hide during the dangerous early stages of life? And what will hold the land together when the surge is so high and so strong, the reef can doing nothing to lessen its impact?

We've got lucky for a very long time. Do we want to wait until after the fact to realize we needed the mangrove and the reef together? See less

Aces Wildlife Rescue