g l o v e r ’ s r e e f s e a s c a p eB e s T o f T H e W I l D : W I l D l I f e c o n s e r v a T I o n s o c I e T y and the

2

g l o v e r ’ s r e e f s e a s c a p eB e s T o f T H e W I l D : W I l D l I f e c o n s e r v a T I o n s o c I e T y and the

photo credits (clockwise from left): cover: rachel graham; inside cover: enric sala; page 3: enric sala; page 4: Julie larsen maher/wcs; page 5: k. dyke/wildtracks, chuck carr, enric sala; page 7: enric sala (2); page 9: enric sala, Julie larsen maher/wcs, k. dyke/wildtracks (2); page 11: sergio hoare /wcs, chuck carr, robin coleman; page 13: sergio hoare /wcs, enric sala

2

Right: The spiny lobster

(Panulirus argus) is the basis

of the most lucrative fishery

in Belize, but catches are

declining. WCS area of focus.

Glover’s supports one of the Caribbean’s largest and last remaining Nassau grouper spawning aggregations, a spectacular biological phenomenon that is becoming increas-ingly rare. It is one of the only true atolls—strings of coral islands and reefs surrounding a pristine lagoon—in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Glover’s Reef Seascape is crucial to the Belize economy. Its nursery ground for commercially important fisheries is a living bank for hundreds of licensed fishermen. It is a centerpiece of ecotourism within the greater Belize Barrier Reef—Belize’s premier tourism destination and a World Heritage Site. Its rich cultural and archeological his-tory is evident in pre-Classic Maya settlements.

The Government of Belize recognized this value when it established the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve in 1993, which includes the country’s largest no-fishing zone. However, like coral reef systems around the world, Glover’s remains under threat from overfishing, pollution, unregulated tourism and climate change – threats that destroy corals, deplete fish stocks and weaken ecological links across the seascape.

For more than 20 years, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has partnered with the Government of Belize to pioneer innovative approaches to conserving Glover’s. Effective field science, policy reform and capacity building are leading us closer to our 10-year vision: massive colonies of brain, starlet, elkhorn, finger and other corals hosting hundreds of species of fish, marine turtles, and top predators such as sharks and groupers, thriving within a productive and resilient seascape that is sustained by effec-tive management and supported by local people who are well-informed and actively engaged in sustainable management of Glover’s Reef.

With WCS experience, scientific knowledge and commitment, together we can ensure that this seascape remains forever wild.

Glover’s Reef Seascape lies at the heart of the largest coral

reef system in the Western hemisphere. An astounding 800

coral patch reefs dot its waters, supporting extraordinarily

high biological diversity across 135 square miles. Just 28

miles off the coast of Belize, Glover’s Reef is critical nursery

and feeding ground for sea turtles, sharks and rays, and

numerous fish species that gather in massive numbers.

W C S a n d T h e g l o v e R ’ S R e e f S e a S C a p e

3

BELIZE

GUATEMALA HONDURAS

MEXICO

Conservation Zone

Wilderness Zone

Seasonal Closure Zone

General Use Zone

Spawning Aggregation Site

Cayes

Reef flat

Coral reef

0 2.5 51.25Miles

Cayes

(Background shade represents bathymetry)

4

left: over a decade of shark

research at glover’s has shown

that the marine reserve is

successfully protecting resident

populations through its ban on

the use of nets and longlines.

right, clockwise from top:

fisherman cleaning his catch

of conch (Strombus gigas). a

sea turtle killed by becoming

entangled in an illegally set

gillnet. a royal denizen of the

reef: the queen angelfish.

These declines lead to cascading impacts across the entire fish com-munity as one species after another is fished to critically low levels, weaken-ing key ecological linkages across the reef system. Over-fishing therefore risks huge and perhaps irreversible changes to the health and function of Glover’s Reef and continues to grow in severity across Belize and the Caribbean. Lack of coordinated management strategies, sparse en-forcement, and insufficient resources

to effectively manage the area exacerbate the consequences of over-fishing. Dredging, clearance of vegetation and dumping of waste caused by unregulated

coastal and caye development destroys critical sea grass beds, corals, and mangroves. The rapidly expanding tourism industry drives much of this short-sighted and destructive development on privately owned cayes throughout the Belize marine protected area system. Sediment and agro-chemical run-off from industrial scale farms on the Guatemala and Honduras mainland are also a threat. With climate change anticipated to cause harmful bleaching in 70 percent of coral reefs worldwide by 2100, it is even more imperative that human-induced stresses are minimized to guarantee a future for Belize’s coral reefs.

Over-fishing and illegal fishing are major threats to

Glover’s Reef and the entire Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.

Catch of spiny lobster, queen conch and other commercial

species are in decline, despite growing fishing effort. As

local fish stocks in neighboring Guatemala and Honduras

have been depleted, foreign fishers increasingly turn to the

relatively healthier fish populations found in Belize.

u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e c h a l l e n g e s a n d r i s k s

5

6

right: clockwise from top:

nassau groupers (Epinephelus

striatus) aggregating to spawn

at the reef promontory on the

northeast end of the atoll.

massive star coral (Montastraea

spp.), a major reef-building

species of caribbean reefs.

v i s i o n f o r t h e f u t u r e

To achieve this vision, we will use a wildlife-centered, threats-focused, seascape-scale approach that reconciles the needs of marine species and human livelihoods. Within 10 years WCS holds itself accountable to:

n Increase Nassau grouper populations tenfold, restoring an historic spectacle where tens of thousands of fish aggregated at Glover’s to spawn;

n Restore adult queen conch to a healthy and resilient density of 50 per hectare; n Retain critically endangered hawksbill turtles at least at their present abundance

to maintain Glovers’ importance as a feeding ground for young turtles; n Keep queen conch and spiny lobster catches within sustainable quotas and

harvested only from areas open to fishing.Nassau grouper, queen conch and hawksbill turtles are icons of this seascape; their

abundance and stability indicate a healthy ecosystem. We will measure our success by their status over the coming decade.

Our approach to conserving Glover’s is to 1) ensure its effective management, 2) build a conservation constituency through training and support to the government and local stakeholders, and 3) monitor species to measure conservation success and use this knowledge to improve our work and inform policy and regulation. We will have realized our vision when:

n Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve shows improvements in reef health and manage-ment effectiveness, as measured by regular conservation audits;

n Private land owners, tourism operators and fishing cooperatives recognize the link between reef health and livelihoods, and work together as active conserva-tion stewards of the resource;

n The government enacts policies and legislation in response to WCS scientific information, leading to improvements in fishing practices and increases in marine wildlife species.

WCS’ 10-year vision for the Glover’s Reef Seascape is

massive colonies of brain, starlet, elkhorn, finger and other

corals hosting hundreds of species of fish, marine turtles,

and top predators such as sharks and groupers, thriving

within a productive and resilient seascape that is sustained

by effective management and supported by local people

who are well-informed and actively engaged in sustainable

management of Glover’s Reef.

7

8

right, clockwise from top:

a causal chain helps prioritize

conservation actions to address

threats to the wildlife of

glover’s reef. wcs scientist

examining field samples.

Fisherman and his dory filled

with conch. fisherman with

his catch of spiny lobster.

To ensure that the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve is effectively managed, WCS is working with the Government of Belize to:

n Implement a management plan that enhances resiliency of Glover’s Reef, particularly against shocks to coral health caused by climate change;

n Measure conservation progress by monitoring key seascape species;n Conduct management effectiveness audits to identify shortcomings

and solutions; n Secure revenues for financially sustainable management;n Strengthen surveillance and enforcement capacity;n Host the marine reserve headquarters of the Fisheries Department

at Middle Caye.To ensure that key stakeholders—land owners, tourism operators and fishing

communities—are working cooperatively as stewards of the reserve, WCS will:n Strengthen the governance of the stakeholder advisory committee in its role as

informal co-manager;n Build support among fishers for a limited access program designed to sustain

their fishery and diversify their livelihood strategies beyond fishing; n Engage them in reef monitoring to raise stakeholder demand for conservation; n Work with caye and resort owners to apply best land development practices;n Develop a united voice with partners advocating the conservation and sustain-

able use of Belize’s marine heritage.To support the government in enacting necessary policies and legislation, WCS will:n Monitor the health of the reef and apply that knowledge to inform and justify

new policies and legislation;n Publicize trends in the status of Nassau grouper, queen conch, hawksbill turtle,

and spiny lobster, and promote policy initiatives that increase populations of these key seascape species;

n Undertake, at the request of the Government of Belize, a revision of the fisheries legislation of Belize.

The time to conserve Glover’s Reef is now. The National

Protected Areas Policy is complete. Recognition of the

tourism and fisheries value of coral reefs and mangroves is

on the rise, and the World Heritage Site designation of the

Belize Barrier Reef has garnered strong public pride and

support.

a d d r e s s i n g t h e r i s k s

9

Unsustainablefishing

Illegal fishing

Inadequate protectivelegislation

Weak law enforcement

Queen Conch to50 individualsper hectare

Restore spawningaggregation ofNassau Grouper

Lobby for restrictionson spearfishing

Lobby for an increasein the minimum sizelimit for conch

Train fisheries rangers

Engage fishers inenforcement

1 0

right, clockwise from top:

fisheries catch data collector

in hopkins village. researcher

at work in the newly-

constructed wet lab at the

wcs station on middle caye.

marine reserve staff releasing

tagged loggerhead turtle.

Our research station, situated on Middle Caye at Glover’s Reef, is on the front lines of conservation of this remote seascape, providing both a base of operations for enforce-ment and monitoring as well as a world-class field research and training station for visiting scientists.

Together with its partners, WCS counts among its conservation victories in Belize:n Legislation that mandates year-round protection for the highly vulnerable and

overfished Nassau grouper at eleven spawning sites; n Protection of key species and the marine ecosystem through the re-zoning of

Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve, including Belize’s largest no-fishing zone; n Creation in Belize of a model program for engaging fishermen in collecting and

reporting information on the status of fish populations; n Leadership in completing the new National Protected Area Policy

and System Plan;n Development of the country’s first limited access fishing program for large-

scale, multi-species fisheries;n Collaboration with national and international conservation organizations to

advocate together for stringent measures to protect the Nassau grouper.The foundation of this progress is the long-term partnerships WCS has established

across government, non-government, and community stakeholders who are committed to conservation success at Glover’s Reef.

For more than two decades, WCS has been the most

influential marine conservation field presence in Belize.

WCS played a major role in the creation of the country’s

first Marine Reserve, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, in 1987,

and the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve in 1993. Our network

of strong local partners and ability to translate field research

into marine policy have positioned WCS as a leader in the

development of creative, pragmatic conservation tools to

save Belize’s remarkable seascapes.

w c s : p o s i t i o n e d t o d e l i v e r

1 1

W c s I s g r a T e f u l T o T H e f o l l o W I n g f o r l e a D e r s H I p s u p p o r T o f o u r W o r k I n T H e g l o v e r ’ s r e e f s e a s c a p e :

avina

the henry foundation

lady kinnoulls trusts

national fish and wildlife foundation

national oceanic and atmospheric administration

the oak foundation

ruth smart foundation

the summit foundation

sylvanus charitable trusts

the tiffany & co. foundation

u.s. agency for international development (usaid)

u.s. fish and wildlife service

for further information please contact:

wildlife conservation societyMarine program

2300 southern BoulevardBronx, ny 10460-1099

(718) 741-8212

W c s ’ s s u c c e s s I n T H e l a n D s c a p e c a n B e a T T r I B u T e D I n p a r T T o o u r s T r o n g l o c a l p a r T n e r s H I p s :

association for protected area management organizations

belize audubon society

belize fisheries department

belize institute of law and policy

coastal Zone management authority and institute

conservation international

environmental defense fund

gef small grants programme

glover’s reef advisory committee

green reef

hopkins fishermen association

national spawning aggregation working group

the nature conservancy

protected areas conservation trust

sarteneja wildlife, environment and ecotourism team

smithsonian institution

southern environmental alliance

toledo institute for development and the environment

university of belize

wildtracks

world wildlife fund

f e B r u a r y 2 0 0 9