The coral reef and the entire Belize nature reserve are no longer in danger: UNESCO has removed the Barrier Reef Reserve System from the list of endangered sites. The decision came on June 24, following the analysis of the safeguard measures adopted by the country
The coral reef and the entire Belize nature reserve are no longer in danger: UNESCO has removed the Barrier Reef Reserve System from the list of sites at risk. The decision came on June 24, following the analysis of the safeguard measures adopted by the country.
The State of Belize, in Central America, is home to a wonderful coral reef, which, with its 290 km, is the largest in the Northern Hemisphere and the second in the world after the Australian one and which in turn is included in a incredible nature reserve, the only site of the Unesco World Heritage Site.
Belize has taken several decisions to protect this immense natural heritage, including the suspension of oil exploration throughout the maritime area and thestiffening of forestry regulations, which now allow a more decisive protection of the mangroves, the vegetal formations consisting of mainly woody plants typical of the low coasts of the tropical marine coasts.
The Unesco committee has assessed that such measures have already had and will have in the future an increasingly beneficial effect on the site, now considered more "protected", hence its removal from the list of those at risk.
The reserve was named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1996 precisely for its beauty and the natural wealth it can offer, from the largest coral reef in the Northern Hemisphere to offshore atolls, several hundred sandbanks, mangrove forests, lagoons. coastal and estuarine and which is a significant habitat for some endangered species, including the sea turtle, manatee and the American marine crocodile.
But in 2009 it was registered on the "black list" of sites in danger, a list established precisely to inform the international community about the conditions that threaten the sites and to encourage corrective measures.
The decision on the Barrier Reef Reserve System, in particular, was made due to the destruction of mangroves and marine ecosystems, damage mainly due to offshore oil extraction and the development of unsustainable construction projects.
But it seems that the state of Belize has responded well and that, at least for now, the danger has escaped. Hoping that the end of the emergency situation does not encourage excessive (and dangerous) relaxation.
For more information on coral reefs read also:
- The suggestive blue hole discovered in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef (VIDEO)
- The terrible images that show the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef (PHOTO)
Roberta de carolis
