Editing Belize (section)

===Belize Barrier Reef===

{{Main|Belize Barrier Reef}}

[[File:Belize Barrier Reef Aerial Looking North.jpg|thumb|upright|Belize Barrier Reef; aerial view looking north]]

The Belize Barrier Reef is a series of [[coral reef]]s straddling the coast of Belize, roughly {{convert|300|m|ft}} offshore in the north and {{convert|40|km|mi}} in the south within the country limits. The Belize Barrier Reef is a {{convert|300|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} section of the {{convert|900|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} [[Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System]], which is continuous from [[Cancún]] on the northeast tip of the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] through the [[Riviera Maya]] up to [[Honduras]] making it one of the largest coral reef systems in the world.

It is the top tourist destination in Belize, popular for [[scuba diving]] and [[snorkelling]], and attracting almost half of its 260,000 visitors. It is also vital to its fishing industry.<ref name="BBC News - 12 June 2006">{{cite news|last=Harrabin|first=Roger|date=12 June 2006|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5064870.stm|title=Reef at forefront of CO2 battle|website=BBC News|access-date=21 February 2013|archive-date=9 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509173024/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5064870.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1842 [[Charles Darwin]] described it as "the most remarkable reef in the [[West Indies]]".

The Belize Barrier Reef was declared a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 1996 due to its vulnerability and the fact that it contains important natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biodiversity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System – UNESCO World Heritage Centre|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/764|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=23 December 2015|archive-date=2 November 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102085701/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/764|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Species====

The Belize Barrier Reef is home to a large diversity of plants and animals, and is one of the most diverse [[ecosystem]]s of the world:
* 70 hard coral species
* 36 [[Alcyonacea|soft coral]] species
* 500 species of fish
* hundreds of [[invertebrate]] species
With ~90% of the reef still yet to be researched, some estimate that only 10% of all species have been discovered.<ref>[http://www.westminster.edu/staff/athrock/BELIZE/Reef.html Belize Barrier Reef Case Study] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605060903/http://www.westminster.edu/staff/athrock/BELIZE/Reef.html |date=5 June 2013 }}. Westminster.edu. Retrieved on 21 October 2011.</ref>

====Conservation====
[[File:Great Blue Hole.jpg|thumb|The [[Great Blue Hole]], a phenomenon of [[karst topography]]]]
Belize became the first country in the world to completely ban [[bottom trawling]] in December 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guatemalans trawling in Belize's southern waters {{pipe}} Channel5Belize.com|url=https://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/82518|access-date=2021-11-23|language=en-US|archive-date=16 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416133256/https://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/82518|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://oceana.org/en/news-media/press-center/press-releases/belize-bans-bottom-trawling-in-exclusive-economic-zone "Belize Bans Bottom Trawling in Exclusive Economic Zone"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009021343/http://oceana.org/en/news-media/press-center/press-releases/belize-bans-bottom-trawling-in-exclusive-economic-zone |date=9 October 2012 }}. Oceana.org.8 December 2010. Retrieved on 28 February 2013.</ref> In December 2015, Belize banned offshore oil drilling within {{convert|1|km|1|abbr=on}} of the Barrier Reef and all of its seven World Heritage Sites.<ref>{{cite web|title=Government Implements Ban On Offshore Drilling|url=http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=34483&frmsrch=1|website=7 News Belize|access-date=23 December 2015|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417101448/https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=34483&frmsrch=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite these protective measures, the reef remains under threat from [[Marine pollution|oceanic pollution]] as well as uncontrolled tourism, shipping, and fishing. Other threats include hurricanes, [[climate change]] and the resulting increase in ocean temperatures,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/735941.stm |title=Coral collapse in Caribbean |work=BBC News |date=4 May 2000 |access-date=1 June 2021 |archive-date=8 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108212744/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/735941.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> which causes [[coral bleaching]]. It is claimed by scientists that over 40% of Belize's coral reef has been damaged since 1998.<ref name="BBC News - 12 June 2006"/>