Natural Heritage, Natural Wealth

The report assesses the economic value of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, focusing on tourism benefits. It finds that four of the seven MPAs within the BBRRS generate up to US$18.8 million annually from tourism recreation. The document argues that these economic benefits far exceed management costs, providing a strong case for protecting the reef against threats such as offshore oil exploration, unsustainable coastal development, and climate change. It calls on the Belizean government to enact a moratorium on oil exploration and implement stricter land-use regulations to remove the BBRRS from the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.

• Four specific Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the BBRRS provide up to US$18.8 million per year in economic benefits from tourism recreation, based on 2015 data.
• Individual tourism value estimates for the assessed MPAs include up to US$8.5 million for Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve, up to US$5.8 million for Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole combined, and up to US$4.5 million for Laughing Bird Caye.
• The BBRRS and associated reef-marine ecosystems support significant livelihoods in Belize, with over 190,000 people (more than 50% of the population) depending on income from tourism and fisheries.
• Coastal protection provided by coral reefs and mangroves, which protect two-thirds of the coastline and 40% of the population, is estimated to avoid between US$231 and 347 million in damages per year.
• The BBRRS has been on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger since 2009 due to threats including the sale and lease of public lands, destruction of ecosystems for resort and housing development, and offshore oil exploration.
• Climate change and industrial activities have caused severe degradation, including an 80% reduction in live coral cover in some parts of the reef over 20 years and a 35% decline in marine turtle nests between 1992 and 2012.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Natural Heritage, Natural Wealth. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/630/91r0y99nrk_Belize_Natural_Heritage_Natural_Wealth.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Natural Heritage, Natural Wealth. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/630/91r0y99nrk_Belize_Natural_Heritage_Natural_Wealth.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Natural Heritage, Natural Wealth |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/630/91r0y99nrk_Belize_Natural_Heritage_Natural_Wealth.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndnatural, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Natural Heritage, Natural Wealth}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/630/91r0y99nrk_Belize_Natural_Heritage_Natural_Wealth.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }