Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve - Southern Environmental ...

Who we are
Southern Environmental Association (SEA) is a nongovernmental
organization created in 2008. Developed
from a merger of Friends of Nature (FON) and the
Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and
Empowerment (TASTE) to ensure improved community
involvement in the conservation and co-management of
the natural resources in Southern Belize. SEA takes a
practical, hands on approach to conservation and
management of much of the Southern Barrier Reef
Complex. SEA has co-management agreements for the
day-to-day management of Laughing Bird Caye National
Park (LBCNP) with Belize Forest Department, and
Gladden Spit and Silk Cages Marine Reserve (GSSCMR)
and the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve (SCMR) with
Belize Fisheries Department.
Park Rules
Do not touch, walk on, or damage the reef.
Take your garbage with you.
Dive, snorkel and fishing boats should maintain
a distance of at least 200 (two hundred) feet
between each other.
No gloves or fishing are allowed when SCUBA
diving.
No destruction of natural habitat.
No anchoring on coral reefs.
No net fishing.
No spear fishing.
All boats must use the mooring buoys where
provided.
Read and abide by all regulations of the protected
area.
All local Fisheries, Wildlife, Forestry, Tourism,
and Archeological Laws apply.
Do not interfere with or damage any posted
signs, buoys or notices.
Southern Environmental Association
National Office: Placencia Village
Branch Office: Punta Gorda Town
Phone No.: 523-3377 or 722-0125
Fax No.: 523-3395 or 722-0125
Email: info@seabelize.org
Photo by: Annelise Hagan
Sapodilla Cayes
Marine Reserve
Photo by: Annelise Hagan
Photo by: Annelise Hagan

About the SCMR
The Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve was declared in
1996, that very same year it became a UNESCO World
Heritage site. Due to it’s location in the Gulf of Honduras
the SCMR has a long history. Mayan fishermen have
left their legacy and signs of occupancy in the way of
obsidian shards and broken pottery. Spanish fleets leaving
the protection of Lake Izabal have carefully navigated
around this section of the reef as powerful east
winds could have easily created many shipwrecks.
Strong currents however, have erased most evidence of
these mariners’ activities. In recent years, the Sapodilla
Cayes have been a point of contention with both Guatemala
and Honduras claiming sovereignty. Today the
SCMR area continues to be used by Guatemalans, Hondurans
and to a lesser extent Belizeans for swimming,
snorkelling, diving and fishing.
The reserve covers an approximate area of 125 km 2 and
includes fourteen sand and mangrove cayes; namely,
Tom Owens East and West, Northeast Sapodilla Caye,
Frank's Cayes main, east and west, Nicholas Caye,
Hunting Caye, Lime Caye, Ragged Caye, Seal Cayes I and
II, and two unnamed sand cayes or ephemeral islands
that lack vegetation. The cayes and the marine environment
surrounding them are an important habitat for a
wide variety of plants and animals.
Photo by: Annelise Hagan
Many of the species found in the SCMR including the
Hawksbill Turtle and the Nassau Grouper are protected
by law. Other important commercial species such as
snapper, conch and lobster call the SCMR home. The
protection of all of the species and different habitats
within the Sapodilla Cayes is vital.
Management
SCMR was designated in 1996 but remained a paper park
until 2001 when the on-site Belize Fisheries Department
staff was hired. The Government of Belize recognized
the many threats to the barrier reef system and its own
lack of resources to combat these threats. This, along
with a desire to involve stakeholders in the management
process, prompted the Fisheries Department to sign a
Memorandum of Understanding on February 1, 2001
with the Toledo Association For Sustainable Tourism and
Empowerment (TASTE) which has since merged with
Friends of Nature to become SEA. Currently the reserve
staff consists of a reserve manager, a biologist and 2
rangers, who are based at their headquarters on Hunting
Caye. The staff is responsible for day-to-day management,
patrols, education and outreach. Like Gladden
Spit and Silk Caye Marine Reserve, Southern Environmental
Association (SEA) now has a co-management
agreement with the Fisheries Department.
Photo by: Annelise Hagan
SEA staff works closely with the reserve staff and conducts
monitoring and research activities as well as education
and outreach. Visitors are primarily from the surrounding
countries such as Honduras and Guatemala. Every Easter
and Christmas hundreds of these foreign tourists gather to
camp, snorkel, sport fish and dive in beautiful waters. It
has been somewhat of a tradition since the 1980s.
Recreational Activities
To many, the Sapodilla Cayes are some of the most
beautiful islands in Belize. It is a very important
tourist destination for many visitors from Guatemala
and Honduras as well as Belize.
Although visitation data is collected by the SCMR
park rangers, it is also important to monitor recreational
impacts in areas that are heavily used. This
provides management with the opportunity to develop
specific management measures to mitigate
any negative impacts on these resources. Enjoying
the white sand beaches and pristine waters of
these beautiful islands is important to tourists as
well as the staff and mangers of the Sapodilla Cayes
Marine Reserve.
Photo by: Annelise Hagan
Photo by: Annelise Hagan