Raised
Show on google maps →The Habitat
Turneffe Atoll is the largest of three offshore atolls located 50 kilometres east of Belize City. Turneffe is one of the best-developed atolls of the Mesoamerican Reef region. It is made up of more than 150 islands of savannah, littoral forest and intact mangrove forests and considered a global ecological hotspot for marine biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of the total land ownership is private and only six locations (80 hectares) have been developed for tourism. The land purchased is a 5-acre plot covered with mangrove and littoral forest along the eastern side of Turneffe Atoll.
Ecoregion: Belizean Reef mangroves (NT1406)
Some of the threatened species now protected in this habitat:
- Critically Endangered Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate)
- Critically Endangered Goliath Grouper (Epinephelusitajara)
- Critically Endangered Staghorn Coral (Acroporacervicornis)
- Critically Endangered Elkhorn Coral (Acroporapalmata)
- Vulnerable Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Local Partner NGO
Status of registration of the group at the national level
501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization (US)
NGO (Belize)
Governance and management structure of the group
TAT was established in 2002 and has two full-time staff members and an eleven-member board of directors. TAT works with the Turneffe Atoll Coastal Advisory Committee, which is comprised of various stakeholders, such as NGOs, governmental agencies, fishermen and private businesses. Over the past ten years TAT has led planning for the conservation of Turneffe Atoll in conjunction with the Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute. TAT also successfully advocated for catch-and-release legislation and for Turneffe’s designation as a marine reserve.
Conservation Plans
TAT’s active management will address:
1) improper development (clearing and dredging): Once purchased, TAT staff and Turneffe enforcement rangers will be able to monitor the properties and make sure they remain protected from illegal clearing, dredging and development. The enforcement rangers live permanently at Turneffe and are funded through the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA). Close collaboration with TASA and the rangers will be required as new land is purchased.
2) Over-, illegal- and out-of-season harvesting of fish, conch and lobster: Education and employment of local fisherman, catch-and-release legislation, and daily patrols and enforcement of the marine-reserve regulations are helping to protect land and water resources. These programmes will continue, and TAT will look for new ways to ensure long-term protection through legislative and legal processes. TAT is also embarking on a new program—Land and Water Watch—in which we will work with legal consultants to review environmental assessments of proposed developments and with the Belize Fisheries Department to make sure permits are issued correctly and enforced. This programme will also apply to future land purchases.
TAT will also pursue a UNESCO biosphere-reserve designation for Turneffe. With this designation comes a higher level of national and global protection and more opportunities for funding, enforcement and oversight to help ensure the protection of the atoll and the land that TAT purchases for conservation.
