World Heritage Identification Number: 764
World Heritage since: 1996
Category: Natural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇧🇿 Belize
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
Map
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System: A Natural Marvel of the Northern Hemisphere
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, showcases an exceptional natural system that spans the coastline of Belize. This remarkable ecosystem encompasses the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, numerous sand cays, expansive mangrove forests, coastal lagoons, and estuaries. The reserve system offers a unique glimpse into the evolutionary history of reef development and serves as a crucial habitat for various endangered species, such as marine turtles, manatees, and the American marine crocodile.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The coastal area of Belize is an outstanding natural system consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries. The system’s seven sites illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development and are a significant habitat for threatened species, including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
The Committee inscribed the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System under natural criteria (vii), (ix) and (x) as the largest barrier reef in the Northern hemisphere, as a serial nomination consisting of seven sites. The Reef illustrates a classic example of reefs through fringing, barrier and atoll reef types.
Encyclopedia Record: Belize Barrier Reef
The Belize Barrier Reef is a series of coral reefs straddling the coast of Belize, roughly 300 metres (980 ft) offshore in the north and 40 kilometres (25 mi) in the south within the country limits. The Belize Barrier Reef is a 300-kilometre (190 mi) long section of the 900-kilometre (560 mi) Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which is continuous from Cancún on the north-eastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula through the Riviera Maya and down to Honduras, making it the second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is Belize's top tourist destination, popular for scuba diving and snorkeling and attracting almost half of its 260,000 visitors. It is also vital to the country's fishing industry.Additional Site Details
Area: 96,300 hectares
(ix) — Outstanding example representing ecological and biological processes
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 17.190549 , -87.846213
Image
Jeff Williams (NASA), Public domain
