Habitat Questions • Tropical Ecology Institute • NC Museum of Natural Sciences

Marshes are determined not just by rainfall, but by the geology and topography of the land. The northern part of Belize is flat and the land is marshy in areas and has savannas interspersed with farmland and rain forest. The southern area has dense rainforests with few marshes and the west is very mountainous.

What is the most interesting thing so far? —a 7th grader from Harnett County (2004)

Definitely it is the diversity of Belize. The variations in the soil composition, topography, flora, fauna, culture and climate are astounding! For example, we have traveled from a coastal savannah to a dry tropical forest to a tropical rain forest to a sandy beach — all in the same country and without traveling very far. Each day brings many new favorite experiences.

Did you see the barrier reef? (2005)

We did not go far enough into the Caribbean Sea to see the barrier reef. We snorkeled off some of the local cays so we were able to observe marine life in patch reefs.

What are the cays made of? (2005)

The cays are made of a build up of coral over time. The hard calcium that you see as coral is actually the skeleton of many organisms, each about the size of 1 mm.

What did you see during the night snorkeling?—John, a 10th grade student from Surry County, NC (2006)

We have finally been able to get a good view of the Belizean night sky here on the island (cloud cover has been heavy due to it being the rainy season). In the past two nights we have found many familiar constellations to those we see in North Carolina, only they are shifted to the north a bit. We have seen clear views of the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper in the north and Scorpio in the south. We also were able to find the Tea Kettle constellation as well as Draco, “the dragon,” Cygnus, “the swan,” and Hercules. Another highlight has been the amazing view of the Milky Way we’ve had each night. Since we have a new moon and no light pollution, the stars brighten the night sky. It has been interesting to note that the clouds appear almost black against the bright starlit sky here while they often appear white or grey or even red at night in parts of North Carolina due to light pollution. We have been hoping to see the Southern Cross constellation in the early evening low on the horizon. However, there has been too much cloud cover that low to see this constellation that is not visible in NC.

What did you see when you went swimming in the coral reef? —Sam, a 3rd grade student from Union County, NC (2006)

The coral reefs in Belize are quite healthy and for that reason we have seen a large diversity of coral and fish life. During our snorkel today we sighted brain coral ranging from basketball sized to table sized. We also saw Staghorn Coral, Elkhorn Coral, Golfball Coral, Pillar Coral, Star Coral, and Lettuce Coral. The list goes on... There are eight protected marine preserves in Belize which protect less than half of the extensive reef system here. While the reefs appear very healthy to us based on the diversity of life we found and the lack of “bleached” areas in the reef. There are numerous threats to the system. The cutting of mangrove forests decreases the water quality which affects the health of the reefs. While tourism is an important source of income for the country, it can also be a threat to the reefs if not managed correctly. Just as we need to be conscious visitors to our state and national parks by staying on trails and respecting plants and wildlife, visitors to the reefs need to be careful not to damage the reefs and wildlife.