ClimateWire: A ban on fishing in the marine reserve at Glover’s Reef in Belize has made it a prime spot for wildlife to flourish and for researchers to see the natural workings of the reef ecosystem. But even more, it offers a test case for the prospects of similar “no take” reserves around the world.
The 17,500-acre area with no fishing is just 20 percent of the 87,000-acre marine protected area in Glover’s Reef, an atoll about 28 miles off the Belize coast. In the rest of the region, some restricted fishing is allowed. Partly because of that, scientists say Glover’s Reef is one of the healthiest of its kind, with plentiful fish populations.
For example, shark populations remained steady at the reef while they dropped around the rest of the world, according to an annual shark study in the Caribbean. A study of live coral published in February’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that marine protected areas help coral populations, although it can take decades for the results to be known. The no-take approach builds up fish stocks, which then repopulate nearby fisheries, and helps revive the entire region.
Still, officials say it can be difficult to enforce the fishing restrictions. And the region has been heavily polluted and cover coral is low. A recent analysis found that 63 percent of Belize’s reefs are threatened by human activity (Erik Olsen, New York Times, April 26). – JP