The world’s ecosystems in mother nature function in the same manner as the human body: When ecosystems are strong and healthy — which means they have diverse species and habitat for healthy animal populations — they are more resistant to disease. It is vital...
ReefCI will reopen to volunteers November 1st, 2020 and we look forward to safely returning to our marine conservation efforts. The Belize government is reopening the country to travel October 1st, hence we remain hopeful that things will return to normal shortly and...
The coronavirus world pandemic arises from our unwillingness to respect the interdependence between ourselves, other animal species and the natural world more generally. Biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history. We clear forests and remove...
Ocean acidification refers to the ongoing change in the chemistry of the ocean caused primarily by the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. For the last 250 years, the burning of fossil fuels — coal, oil, natural gas — for energy, cement...
The pufferfish, also called blowfish, swellfish, globefish and balloonfish, are named for their ability to inflate themselves to several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened. Their scientific name, Tetraodon, refers to the fact that they...
The end of 2019 marked the introduction of ReefCI’s new dive boat – Reef Conservation Two. A special thanks to all the donations from former volunteers that made this possible. Without your help and support, Reef Conservation International would not be...
Thanks to all of our volunteers – you made 2019 a special year! Our volunteers are everyday people, from all walks of life and backgrounds and together, with their help Reef Conservation International made great strides in our conservation efforts in 2019. 2019...
The government of Belize has just recently approved a plan to expand its marine protected areas designated as no-take zones from 4.5 percent to 11.6 percent of its total waters. Much of the expansion will cover deep sea areas at depths ranging from 200 to 3,000 meters...
Belize is a low-lying coastal country, it is extremely vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters, climate change, and economic devastation that follows, which have been more frequent and severe in the last few years. Belize is also economically dependent on...
You are finning along a reef with fish swimming all around you when suddenly something makes you stop on your tracks. You see a sight that at once captivates you and implores you to fix your gaze on a head protruding from a hole, seemingly glaring out and opening and...
1. The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole or cave, located roughly 97 km (60 miles) off the coast of Belize City, Belize. Most sea holes, just like the Belize Blue Hole, were submerged at the end of the last great Ice Age some 10,000 years ago. 2. The Great...
The Belize Barrier Reef, the 2nd largest in the world behind Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, has been officially removed from the United Nations list of endangered sites. The introduction of a moratorium on oil exploration, along the entire maritime zone of the...
The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the ocean’s most awe-inspiring and magnificent ecosystems in the world. It includes a diversity of habitats from mangrove forests, estuaries, sandy islands, atolls, and coastal lagoons where a plethora of life abounds. Here are...
The Belize Barrier Reef is home to a large diversity of plants and animals, making it one of the most diverse ecosystems of the world: 70 hard coral species 36 soft coral species 500 species of fish hundreds of invertebrate species, including sponges hundreds of bird...
One of the world’s great natural wonders, The Belize Barrier Reef, running some 190 miles (300 km) along Belize’s Caribbean coastline, is the largest reef system in the northern hemisphere, and the world’s second largest after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Along...
Non reef-safe sunscreen is banned and not permitted on our island. All volunteers must bring only reef-safe sunscreen. On average 14,000 tons of sunscreen slide off of humans and onto the world’s coral reefs each year, exposing these gorgeous underwater ecosystems to...
Scientists generally divide coral reefs into three classes: barrier reefs, atolls, and fringing reefs. Barrier reefs are extensive linear reef complexes that parallel a shore, and are separated from it by lagoon. At their shallowest point, they can reach the water’s...
The nurse shark gets its name from the sucking sound they make when hunting for prey in the sand, which vaguely resembles that of a nursing baby. Nurse sharks are slow-moving bottom-dwellers and are, for the most part, harmless to humans. However, they can be huge—up...
Belize Barrier Reef, Tom Owens Island, Placencia, Belize
(+1) 513-334-9393
anthony@reefci.com
