Belize Barrier Reef Turns 10,000 years old

The world’s second largest reef, the Belize Barrier Reef is celebrating its 10,000th birthday this year. This historic occasion will be commemorated at a week-long nationwide event that will culminate on June 8, 2022.

The reef, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, was removed from the United Nations' endangered places list after almost a decade due to multiple preservation efforts. These efforts include banning off-shore drilling, designating no-take marine protected areas, establishing the "Fish Right, Eat Right" program, and phasing out single-use plastic.

Belize has made considerable progress in enhancing its sustainability programs in recent years and is currently regarded as one of the most ecologically conscientious destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.

As part of Belize’s coral restoration program, after Hurricane Iris in 2001, the Belize Fisheries Department partnered with a non-profit organization to transplant by hand, fragments of destroyed coral. This led to an increase in the coral cover of the sea floor from six percent to 50 percent over a seven-year period.

The 10,000^th birthday of the reef serves as a tremendous endorsement of Belize's ongoing marine conservation initiatives, establishing the country as a global leader in safeguarding the ocean and its valuable ecosystem.

The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the world's great natural wonders. The reef, which runs more than 190 miles from Mexico to Honduras, is part of the larger Mesoamerica Barrier Reef System, and the largest reef of its type in the Northern and Western hemispheres consisting of 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.