Belize is an important biodiversity hotspot, being the most forested country in central America and containing the second longest coral reef in the world along its coast. Belizean Coastal ecosystems (mangroves, seagrass beds, rainforests, corals) are integral to the Belize economy as they support biodiversity, fish communities, tourism, and offer some resilience against coastal flooding from hurricanes and sea-level rise.
A month long fieldwork campaign has begun in Belizean coastal waters which will enhance understanding of the sensitivities of these fragile environments to the impacts of both human activities and climate change.
Dr Christopher Pearce, programme lead for the NOC, said “Belizean coastal environments are some of the most fragile in the world, and are facing a combination of challenges from both human and climate change factors.
A study led by National Oceanography Centre (NOC) scientists, recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science, presents the first ever images of animals living below 4000 metres within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Kiribati, a remote island group in the Pacific.
NOC Southampton hosted a week of workshops and meetings (25 – 29 March) to discuss progress and plan future collaboration with partners and stakeholders from Belize.
On 29 October 2018, scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) began a multi-disciplinary program of fieldwork in Belize that aims to help characterise the impacts of changes in land-use management on coastal environments.
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