Half Moon Caye

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Half Moon Caye
BZECAYE.jpg
The windward shore of Half Moon Caye
Belize location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Half Moon Caye
Geography
Location Lighthouse Reef
Coordinates 17°12′17″N87°32′11″W / 17.2047°N 87.5364°W / 17.2047; -87.5364
Adjacent to Caribbean Sea
Area0.168 km2 (0.065 sq mi) [1]
Length0.8 km (0.5 mi)
Width0.2 km (0.12 mi)
Administration
Belize
District Belize District

Half Moon Caye is an island and natural monument of Belize located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. [1] [2] This natural monument was the first nature reserve to have been established in Belize under the National Park Systems Act in 1981 and first marine protected area in Central America. This is also Belize's oldest site of wildlife protection since it was first designated as a bird sanctuary in 1924 to protect the habitat of the red-footed booby birds. [3]

Contents

World Heritage Site

Half Moon Caye Natural Monument is part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site which was established on December 4, 1996, by the United Nations World Heritage Committee after they formally adopted seven marine protected areas along the Belize Barrier Reef and its adjacent atolls under UNESCO at their meeting in Mérida, Mexico. [4]

Significant features

Important Bird Area

A 1.2m ha site off the coast of Belize, comprising the nation’s offshore and barrier islands, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of several resident, passage or breeding bird species, including white-crowned pigeons, red-footed boobies, roseate terns, Yucatan vireos, black catbirds, and golden-winged and cerulean warblers. The IBA encompasses the South Water Caye, Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes, Sapodilla Cayes and Glover's Reef marine reserves, Half Moon Caye, Laughing Bird Caye and Man-O-War Caye islands, as well as several spawning aggregations. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Belize Audubon Society (2008). "Half Moon Caye Natural Monument". Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  2. Belize Tropical Forest Studies (2010). "Half Moon Caye Natural Monument". Biodiversity and Environmental Resource Data System.
  3. 1 2 3 Robinson, Julianne S. (October 2000). "Lighthouse Reef Atoll Conservation and Protection Project" (PDF). U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) PROARCA/CAPAS. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. "Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System". UNESCO » World Heritage List. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. "Belize Off-shore and Barrier Islands". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-16.