Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

Score one for the sustainability of Belize!  Offshore drilling has been banned in all 7 World Heritage areas along the Belize Barrier Reef System.  Great move.  Thanks to all those that worked for years to organize voices and get them heard, causing this to happen.

Here are the World Heritage Sites:

1. Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve and National Park
2. Caye Caulker Marine Reserve and National Park
3. Lighthouse Reef Natural Monument
4. South Water Caye Marine Reserve
5. Laughing Bird Caye National Park
6. Glovers Reef Marine Reserve
7. Sapodilla Caye Marine Reserve

"At its cabinet meeting yesterday, the Belize government approved a policy that will legally ban offshore exploration in all seven areas that make up the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage area. The decision will effectively exclude the entire World Heritage area from any future oil exploration and make the site consistent with the World Heritage Committee’s position that oil exploration is incompatible with World Heritage status."

Due to the scientific and cultural importance of the Chiquibul National Park, and the sinkholes within, it will likely become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There's a plan to study the area for around a year.  More pictures from the expedition.

"An historic expedition of a 425’ sinkhole located in the Chiquibul National Park of Belize may prove to reveal rare and possibly never-before-seen plants from the heart of the ancient Mayan civilization. The area’s scientific, historic, and cultural significance makes it a likely candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage site designation."