Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

Belize is in the top spot on National Geographic's Best of the World list for rediscovering nature.  As it should've.  

"Nature scored a big win recently in the race to preserve one of the largest remaining tropical rainforests in the Americas. In April 2021, a coalition of conservation partners, led by the Nature Conservancy, purchased 236,000 acres of tropical forest in northwestern Belize to create the Belize Maya Forest Reserve. Along with saving some of the most biodiverse forest in the world from denuding and development, the new protected area, which is contiguous with the neighbouring Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area (RBCMA), closes a huge gap in a vital wildlife corridor that runs from southeast Mexico through Guatemala and into Belize."

National Geographic has Belize on its list of places to visit in 2019.  They highlight the move to protect the reef, and eliminate single use plastic, and of course, mention Caracol. 

"Why go now: Support bold moves to save the oceans...

Back on land, head to Belize’s largest Maya site, Caracol, which is bigger than its famous neighbor, Tikal, in Guatemala—but with a fraction of its visitors. The Belizean government plans to pave the road to Caracol in 2019, making the archaeological site more accessible."

'It might be easier than you think,' the NatGeo travel writer says, and she's right.  The video explains four things travel writer Marie McGrory learned from a week-long plastic-free travel experiment in Belize.  Belize is getting famous for vowing to eliminate single use plastics.

"I took on this challenge in Belize, a country that is no stranger to ecotourism. Its government recently announced a ban on major single-use plastics like bags and straws to go into effect by Earth Day 2019. And UNESCO has removed the Belize Barrier Reef from its list of World Heritage in Danger, after years of efforts to restore the reef’s long-term health.

The green mindset reaches local scales, too: I loved visiting smaller cities like Punta Gorda, where a glass soda bottle is cheaper than a plastic one, because the glass bottles can be sanitized and reused."

Chaa Creek won the prestigious National Geographic World Legacy Award yesterday in Berlin.  They took 1st place in the 'Engaging Communities' category.  Around 10% of their revenue goes to supporting local social programs.  Another well deserved award.  Congratulations, Chaa Creek! 

Lucy Fleming had this to say: “Belize is blessed with some of the most stunning natural beauty in the world, but at the end of the day it’s the people who make living in and visiting Belize such a wonderful experience. Mick and I always recognised that, and we always felt it was important to contribute and give something back to the communities we’ve had such a close bond with all these years.  We also like to show that working closely with communities, especially in a developing nation like Belize, is not only intrinsically and morally right, but provides tangible benefits for everyone involved.” 

Jessi Betancourt has made a cool promo video for the Belize Zoo to be shown on National Geographic.  We love it!

"Here is my intro for a promo pitch title "The Best Little Zoo in the World" intended for Nat Geo. If you see it on tv, you know who made it!"

Belize is listed on National Geographic's 25 Amazing Journey's for 2022.  As it should be, with so much nature to see and experience here in Cayo.  

"The race to preserve one of the largest remaining tropical rainforests in the Americas got a big boost recently. In April 2021, a coalition of conservation partners, led by the Nature Conservancy, purchased 236,000 acres of tropical forest in northwestern Belize to create the Belize Maya Forest Reserve. Along with saving some of the most biodiverse forests in the world from denuding and development, the new protected area—which is contiguous with the neighboring Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area (RBCMA)—closes a huge gap in a vital wildlife corridor that runs from southeast Mexico through Guatemala and into Belize.

The combined reserve, which protects nearly a tenth of Belize’s land area, safeguards and connects essential habitats for an amazing variety of endemic and endangered wild things. These include the tapir, Belize’s national animal; black howler monkeys; more than 400 species of birds; and some of Central America’s largest surviving populations of jaguar."

Video of the day.  National Geographic spent some time at Chaa Creek's Blue Morpho Butterfly Farm.  Check out all those butterflies!  

"We are LIVE from the Blue Morpho Butterfly Enclosure at Chaa Creek Lodge in San Ignacio, Belize."

Happy birthday from Cayo to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve!  National Geographic has a great article about Hol Chan being in existence for 25 years.  Hol Chan having its quarti-centurial birthday is indeed a reason for celebration.

"The story of Hol Chan is laden with good news and useful guidelines for conservation efforts elsewhere.  And there are several positive, encouraging themes in the tale.  First, of course, is the marine reserve, itself. Hol Chan is exceedingly popular, heavily visited during the course of a year, yielding massive financial rewards to numerous stakeholders.  But beyond that happy circumstance is the story about how Hol Chan came to be the first marine reserve in the country.  It was no accident. It was part of a strategic plan conjured up by staff and associates of the Wildlife Conservation Society.  And the plan was to start with Hol Chan as a model the public and the government could contemplate, and learn how the benefits and lessons derived from a modest-sized marine park might be extended to the entire coral reef ecosystem."

UB really went above and beyond with their Earth Day Fair yesterday! They had 3 competitions, all with great prizes. The food was great, especially the sausages and the ceviche. They had over 20 booths set up to teach about everything green. The Belize Zoo had a booth too. Most booths had games and prizes too.

The highlight was the trash fashion show. Joris Hendrik started it all off with a quick show of some of his Eco Love recycled designs. Amazing yet again! The National Geographic dress was superb. After that, they had the Trashion Fashion competition, where over 20 students made clothes from recycled materials. There is some serious creativity out there.