Marine Protected Areas in Belize

The Case for modernizing MPA oversite

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are often perceived as strongholds of conservation—places where nature is safe, ecosystems thrive, and human activity is carefully controlled. But in Belize, that perception rarely matches reality. While the country has voiced admirable commitments to marine protection, the actual safeguards within its marine  protected areas, including Turneffe Atoll, are often inadequate, incomplete, or focused on only a narrow slice of what truly needs protecting.

What Are Marine Protected Areas Supposed to Do?

Marine reserves like Turneffe Atoll are intended to safeguard some of the most ecologically and economically valuable parts of Belize’s marine environment. In theory, they protect habitats, species, and ecosystem functions while also supporting sustainable fishing, tourism, and scientific research. Turneffe, Belize’s largest atoll, is a global biodiversity hotspot with extensive coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and unique species, including the endangered hawksbill turtle and Nassau grouper. Its designation as a marine reserve in 2012 was a major milestone.

The Real Benefits: Ecology and Economy

When properly managed, marine protected areas deliver immense ecological and economic value. Turneffe provides nursery grounds for commercial fish like snapper, grouper, lobster, and conch. Its mangroves and seagrass beds stabilize shorelines, absorb carbon, and buffer the coast from storms—an especially crucial function for protecting Belize City.

Tourism is another major benefit. Turneffe attracts divers, snorkelers, researchers, and recreational fishers from around the world.  Country-wide, flats fishing for catch-and-release species like permit, tarpon and bonefish generates over BZ$246 million annually. Altogether, tourism and fisheries at Turneffe contribute millions more to Belize’s economy and support thousands of jobs in guiding, hospitality, fuel supply, transportation, and more. These benefits are all directly related to maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Marine protected areas are also essential marine science laboratories. Turneffe hosts research stations like the University of Belize’s Calabash Caye Field Station, contributing to regional knowledge on coral reef health, climate resilience, and sustainable fisheries.

The Problem: What Marine Protected Areas Don’t Protect

Despite the term “protected,” most marine protected areas in Belize don’t prohibit damaging activities like seabed dredging, overwater development, and mangrove deforestation. MPA zoning focuses solely on commercial fishery management while neglecting other important MPA functions. In fact, more than 95% of marine reserve areas fall under “General Use” or “Fisheries Management” zones, which allow ecologically harmful uses, including overwater development and dredging.

This regulatory gap opens the door to large-scale habitat destruction within so-called “protected” areas. Overwater development, dredging, and mangrove deforestation are still permitted, even when they directly harm fish habitats, destabilize coastlines, and degrade water quality. These threats undermine the very ecosystems that marine reserves are supposed to protect and jeopardize the livelihoods that depend on them.

The Way Forward

To fulfill the true promise of marine protected areas , Belize must go beyond fishery management and adopt a more holistic, habitat-focused approach. This means:

●       Continuing to require EIAs for all developments within marine protected areas.

●       Expanding oversight of MPAs to encompass expertise in all relevant areas including commercial fishing, but also

tourism, marine science, carbon sequestration and habitat protection.

●       Empowering MPA managers—not just permitting agencies—with real authority over environmental decisions

●       Aligning environmental protections and management with Belize’s international conservation commitments,

including its Blue Bond and World Heritage Site pledges.

●       Expanding the size and authority of “Preservation Zones” within MPAs.

Restructuring Belize’s Marine Protected Areas

Turneffe Atoll has the potential to be a global model for sustainable ocean management. But only if we stop treating “protected” as a label and start making it a reality.