Golden Stream Corridor Preserve

Last updated
Golden Stream Corridor Preserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Location Toledo District, Belize
Governing bodyYa'axche' Conservation Trust

The Golden Stream Corridor Preserve is a nature preserve in Belize with a unique diversity of habitat types and ecosystems. The preserve is owned and managed by Ya'axche' Conservation Trust. [1] The preserve protects the Golden Stream watershed. [2]

Contents

Location

The Golden Stream Corridor preserve is located in the southern part of Belize and is estimated to be approximately 15,000 acres (61 km2). The nature reserve is located near the Nim Li Punit archaeological site. [3] [4]

Ecosystem

The nature preserve is made up of many different ecosystems which includes both forest and marine ecosystems. Its forest ecosystem includes a pristine forest consisting of many mahogany and Santa Maria trees and a riverine forest. The marine ecosystem includes an estuarine environment which is home to many marine organisms. The area is also important because of the watershed it contains, which runs southeast from the southern highway and pours into the Port of Honduras Marine Reserve. These diverse ecosystems are primarily the reason that the nature preserve is considered to be a biological corridor with a large variety of animals. [5]

Flora and fauna

The Golden Stream Corridor Preserve is a forest and marine environment that contains diverse flora and fauna.

Plants within the preserve include the mahogany, giant fig, ceiba, Santa Maria, and many other trees and flowering plants.

The ecosystems attract and provides home for many organisms. The preserve is home to 270 birds, 19 amphibian, 20 fish, 59 mammals and 57 reptiles. [6] Some of the animals inhabiting the preserve are the jaguar, puma, ocelot, paca, kinkajou, margay and iguana. Many threatened and endangered wildlife also inhabits this area. An example of a threatened species is the Baird's tapir. Examples of endangered species are the Central American spider monkey, keel-billed toucan and the West Indian manatee.

Related Research Articles

Conservation in Australia

Conservation in Australia is an issue of state and federal policy. Australia is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, with a large portion of species endemic to Australia. Preserving this wealth of biodiversity is important for future generations.

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary off the Pacific Coast of Southern California

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a sanctuary off the Pacific coast of Southern California. The National Marine Sanctuary program is under the administration of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Golden Gate Biosphere Network

The Golden Gate Biosphere Network is an internationally recognized voluntary coalition of federal, state, and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, universities, and private partners within the Golden Gate Biosphere (GGB) region. The Network works towards protecting the biosphere region’s biodiversity and conserving its natural resources to maintain the quality of life for people within the region. The Network has been part of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme since 1988 and is part of the US Biosphere Network and EuroMAB. It is recognized by UNESCO due to the significant biodiversity of the region, as well as the Network's efforts to demonstrate and promote a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere.

Guanacaste Conservation Area

Guanacaste Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by the Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion (SINAC) of Costa Rica for conservation in the northwestern part of Costa Rica. It contains three national parks, as well as wildlife refuges and other nature reserves. The area contains the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site, which comprises four areas.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature reserve in the Stann Creek District of south-central Belize. It was established to protect the forests, fauna and watersheds of an approximately 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi) area of the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains.

Victoria Peak (Belize)

Victoria Peak within the Maya Mountains is the second highest mountain in Belize. The highest peak in the country, Doyle's Delight, at a height of 1,124 metres (3,688 ft), is located 57 kilometres (35 mi) southwest of Victoria Peak. Victoria Peak is situated in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Victoria Peak is situated in the Stann Creek District of Belize, in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, and is home to many flora and fauna common to Belize. It was pronounced a natural monument in 1998, comprising about 4,847 acres bordered by the Sittee River Forest Reserve, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, and Chiquibul National Park.

Monkey River River in Belize

Monkey River is a coastal watercourse in southern Belize that rises in the Maya Mountains and discharges to the Caribbean Sea near Monkey River Town. One of Belize's major rivers, Monkey River has northern headwaters which originate in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, where the Swasey Branch drains the East Basin of that wildlife sanctuary. Further south, the Bladen Branch watercourse drains the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains including the ancient Mayan settlement areas of Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit. These two watercourses join to form the Monkey River approximately 16 kilometres upstream from the mouth of the Monkey River. The Monkey River is readily navigated throughout the year using small boats, but navigation above the major confluence becomes more difficult due to lack of depth when the dry season starts about February. Habitats in this watershed provide cover for such diverse species as the ocelot, jaguar, Guatemalan black howler, bare-throated tiger heron, Morelet's crocodile, fer-de-lance and manatee.

Conservation in Belize

Since declaring independence in 1981, Belize has enacted many environmental protection laws aimed at the preservation of the country's natural and cultural heritage, as well as its wealth of natural resources. These acts have established a number of different types of protected areas, with each category having its own set of regulations dictating public access, resource extraction, land use and ownership.

Protected areas of California Protected environmental areas of California, US

According to the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), in the state of California, United States, there are over 14,000 inventoried protected areas administered by public agencies and non-profits. In addition, there are private conservation areas and other easements. They include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The California State Parks system alone has 270 units and covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km2), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites, and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.

Private landowner assistance program (PLAP) is a class of government assistance program available throughout the U.S. for landowners interested in maintaining, developing, improving and protecting wildlife on their property. Each state provides various programs that assist landowners in agriculture, forestry and conserving wildlife habitat. This helps landowners in the practice of good land stewardship and provides multiple benefits to the environment. Some states offer technical assistance which includes:

Tourism in Belize

Tourism in Belize has grown considerably recently, and it is now the second largest industry in the nation. Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow has stated his intention to use tourism to combat poverty throughout the country. The growth in tourism has positively affected the agricultural, commercial, and finance industries, as well as the construction industry. The results for Belize's tourism-driven economy have been significant, with the nation welcoming almost one million tourists in a calendar year for the first time in its history in 2012.

Conserving Carolina is a non-profit conservation organization working to preserve water and land resources in Western North Carolina. Conserving Carolina was created in July 2017, from a merger of two previously-separate organizations, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and Pacolet Area Conservancy. The combined organization maintains a primary office in Hendersonville, NC and a regional office in Columbus, NC.

Bukit Tigapuluh National Park

Bukit Tigapuluh National Park - The Thirty Hills - is a 143,223 hectare National Park in eastern Sumatra, consisting primarily of tropical lowland forest, largely in Riau province, with a smaller part of 33,000 ha in Jambi province. It is famous as one of the last refuges of endangered species such as the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant, and Asian tapir, as well as many endangered bird species. It forms part of the Tesso Nilo Complex biodiversity hotspot. The Park is inhabited by the indigenous peoples of the Orang Rimba and Talang Mamak tribes.

Ecology Project International is a non-profit organization based in Missoula, Montana, dedicated to developing place-based, ecological education partnerships between local experts and youth to address conservation issues. Ecology Project International (EPI) works with students and educators at seven program sites around the world: Belize, Costa Rica, mainland Ecuador, Galápagos Islands, Hawaii, Mexico, and Yellowstone.

Bladen Nature Reserve Nature reserve in Toledo, Belize

Bladen Nature Reserve is a landscape of caves, sinkholes, pristine streams and rivers, undisturbed old growth rainforest and an abundance of highly diverse flora and fauna which includes a great deal of rare and endemic species.

The Sanctuary Forest is a nonprofit land trust that resides in the Mattole River headwaters on the northern California coast. It began in 1987 as a community effort to preserve a 2000 year old redwood named “Big Red”. There are also spawning grounds for king salmon and steelhead in a tributary of the river.

The Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature reserve in the Toledo District of southern Belize. It encompasses approximately 5,492 acres (22.23 km2) and was declared a sanctuary in 1998. The Sanctuary is critical for the preservation of biodiversity in Belize and the region. The National Park protects the central wetlands areas which consist of three fresh water lagoons and a hot-spring connected by a number of creeks hence the name Aguacaliente. It is co-managed by the Aguacaliente Management Team (AMT), a consortium of people from adjacent villages.

The Maya Golden Landscape is an area in Belize of approximately 275,000 hectares consisting of protected areas, agriculture, private lands and many small communities that is under the management of the Ya'axché Conservation Trust in Toledo District. The Landscape area encompasses the Bladen Nature Reserve, Colombia River Forest Reserve, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Deep River Forest River Reserve, Port Honduras Marine Reserve, along with commercial and subsistence farmland. Most of the area is dominated with various types of broadleaf forests which varies with topography, soil type and the disturbance history. One disturbance that affect the area, as well, is fires caused by agricultural farming due to the slash and burn practice.

References

  1. "Ya'axché Conservation Trust". Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  2. Ya’axche’ conservation trust. (2014). Golden stream corridor preserve. http://www.yaaxche.org/index.php?page=gscp
  3. Southernbelize. (2016). Golden stream corridor preserve. Natural light production Ltd. http://www.southernbelize.com/golden.html
  4. Photo of the day. (October 4, 2012). The golden stream in the Toledo district. http://ambergriscaye.com/photogallery/121004.html
  5. Humane society wildlife land and trust. (2016). Golden stream corridor preserve Belize. http://www.wildlifelandtrust.org/sanctuaries/conservation-projects/golden-stream-corridor.html
  6. Humane society wildlife land and trust. (2016). Golden stream corridor preserve Belize.http://www.wildlifelandtrust.org/sanctuaries/conservation-projects/golden-stream-corridor.html?referrer=https://www.google.com.bz/