Management Plan - Glover's Reef Marine Reserve

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Glovers Reef Marine Reserve – Management Plan Map showing areas identified as high risk locations requiring dive boat mooring buoys to prevent further damage to reef structures by anchors. Wildtracks / Wildlife Conservation Society, 2007 87
3.2.5 Land development/habitat loss Clearance of Littoral Forest Glovers Reef Marine Reserve – Management Plan Removal of ecosystem that is under-represented within the Belize protected areas system Removal of important habitat for migrating birds Erosion of caye soils Removal of important habitat for lizards with limited distribution (Island leaf-toed gecko) Habitat loss through land development for tourism. This includes the removal of mangroves and littoral forests. In addition, shoreline structures such as piers, marinas, and seawalls can lead to loss and/or alteration of habitats. Red mangrove, littoral forest and herbaceous beach communities play a critical role in stabilizing island structure, reducing coastal erosion, beach loss and sedimentation. Among the most under-represented ecosystems within the protected area system of Belize, their loss is accelerating as the developmental value and demand for beach frontage escalates. This ecosystem is critical for nesting sea turtles, for the Island leaftoed gecko, a species with extremely disjointed distributions, and for numerous migratory bird species. Clearance on the cayes of the Atoll greatly reduces connectivity within an already seriously fragmented ecosystem, reducing the scope for gene-flow and recolonization after natural and anthropogenic impacts. It also greatly undermines the stability of the islands themselves, making them, and any infrastructure thereon, a great deal more susceptible to the impacts of hurricanes. The long-term sustainability of caye-based tourism and residential developments can be made significantly more financially viable through the maintenance of this ecosystem. 3.2.6 Introduced Species The introduction of species from bilge waters of cargo vessels using East Glovers route is a potential threat. The introduction of exotic plant species on the cayes is another potential threat to the terrestrial habitats. Introduced coconuts have already replaced the natural vegetation on significant portions of some of the cayes of Glover’s Reef. As an invasive species, it is able to gradually out-compete natural vegetation through direct competition for light, nutrients and water, as well as smothering the regenerating herbaceous and shrub layers with heavy leaf debris. Natural vegetation has a far more extensive root system than do coconut groves, and is therefore far more effective in stabilizing the sandy soils of islands against the impacts of tropical storms and hurricanes – invasive coconuts therefore increase the likely impacts from such storms. In the late 1990s, most coconut trees on the cayes succumbed to lethal yellow disease, but are currently being replaced with the resistant Maypan hybrid. Rats have been recorded on South-west Caye, and mice on Long Caye, threatening the native species there. Abundant literature documents the very negative impacts of introduced rats on island communities. In the absence of natural predators on the cayes, rats can become present in enormous numbers, and undoubtedly impact both the fauna and the flora of the island – as well as having negative impacts on overnight tourism. Wildtracks / Wildlife Conservation Society, 2007 87
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g Plan Photographs: Glover’s Atol
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Contents Glover’s Reef Marine Res
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Tables Glover’s Reef Marine Reser
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Maps Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve
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Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve - Ma
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Map 1: Glover’s Reef Atoll UTM Co
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2.3 National Context 2.3.1 Legal an
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Environmental Services of the Prote
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2.4 Physical Environment of Managem
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Glovers Reef Marine Reserve - Manag
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2.4.3 Bathymetry Glovers Reef Marin
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2.4.4 Tides and Water Movement Glov
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Map 3: Ecosystems of Glover’s Ree
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Peripheral Reefs Glovers Reef Marin
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Patch Reefs Glovers Reef Marine Res
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Map 4: Location of Cayes Glovers Re
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Page 47 and 48: 2.5.3 Fauna Mammals Glovers Reef Ma
Page 51 and 52: Economically Important Species Ther
Page 53 and 54: Table 16: Conch catches from Glover
Page 55 and 56: Table 18: Maximum Nassau Grouper co
Page 63 and 64: 2.6.2 Archaeological Sites Glovers
Page 65 and 66: generally have dive guides resident
Page 67 and 68: 3. Conservation Planning Glovers Re
Page 69 and 70: Hawksbill Turtle Glovers Reef Marin
Page 93: Figure 52: Damage to Reef (Habitat
Page 97 and 98: 3.2.8 Dredging Dredging and Associa
Page 101 and 102: 4. Management Planning 4.1 Manageme
Page 107 and 108: 4.4.2 Management Zones Glovers Reef
Page 109 and 110: Map 6: Glover’s Reef Marine Reser
Page 111 and 112: Conservation Zone The Conservation
Page 113 and 114: Spawning Aggregation Site This zone
Page 115 and 116: Natural Resource Management Program
Page 117 and 118: Natural Resource Management Program
Page 121 and 122: Monitoring Activities 2007 - 2012 R
Page 123 and 124: 4.5.4 Public Use Programme Glovers
Page 125 and 126: Public Use Programme Activities 200
Page 127 and 128: 4.5.6 Administrative Programme Glov
Page 131 and 132: Table 27: Charges for licenses and
Page 133 and 134: References Glovers Reef Marine Rese
Page 135 and 136: IUCN (2007) Red List Glovers Reef M
Page 139 and 140: Measures of Success of Implementati
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Bird Species of Glover’s Reef Ato
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Table 22: Bird Species of Glover’
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Table 19: Fish Species of Glover’
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Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) Glovers
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Caribbean Reef Shark (Carcharhinus
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3. Implement environmental monitori
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Management Plan - Glover's Reef Marine Reserve

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