Sapodilla Keys - 2005

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When I served as Director of Research at Earthwatch Institute, I helped found the Belize Conservation Research Initiative, a program that would create the basis for the management of the Sapodilla Cayes near Punta Gorda in Southern Belize, a beautiful and important area along the Meso-American Barrier Reef.  The Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve covers an area of approximately 125 square kilometers and includes fourteen sand and mangrove cayes along the southernmost tip of the Belize Barrier Reef, nearly 40 miles due east of Punta Gorda. The Sapodilla Cayes was designated as a Marine Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 because of their extraordinary natural value and socio-economic significance. Together with my colleagues Dr. Marie Studer, Chief Scientist, Dr. Mark Chandler, Director of Conservation Dr. Nick Oguge, Director of the Samburu CRI in Kenya and Dr. Karl Castillo, Director of the Belize CRI at Earthwatch Institute,  and I led a community workshop to identify conservation priorities in the region and to launch research projects that would lead to conservation outcomes. The Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve (SCMR) was co-managed by the Department of Fisheries and the Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and Empowerment (TASTE). The Earthwatch led workshop, which brought together key stakeholders, scientists and research organizations, 35 individuals representing 19 organizations in total, was convened at the Sea Front Inn in Punta Gorda, Belize. 



I helped recruit leading scientists and local communities to collect data on the many habitats of the reef, with research sites in Port Honduras Marine Reserve and Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve. Research projects focused on the resiliency of the coral reef itself, responding to an 80 percent drop in Caribbean coral cover in the last three decades due to coastal pollution, coral diseases, and climate change. 



For a report on this project click here​