Maya Golden Landscape
Maya Golden Landscape is an area in Belize with an area of approx. 2750 km² consisting of a network of protected areas, agricultural areas, private land and small communities in the Toledo District in Belize, which are under the administration of the Ya'axché Conservation Trust .
The areas include the Bladen Nature Reserve , the Colombia River Forest Reserve , Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary , Deep River Forest River Reserve , Port Honduras Marine Reserve along with agricultural land in plantations and subsistence farms. Most of the region is covered by various types of deciduous forests, which are differentiated according to topography, soil types and "disturbance history" ( hurricane damage or agricultural interventions). For example, fire is one of the regular threats because large areas repeatedly burn down in the course of slash and burn.
history
Regional Maya leaders began working out a protection plan in 1997. They were supported by the Fauna and Flora International organization. Since then, the Ya'axché Conservation Trust has managed this corridor with the support of the management of the individual protected areas within the Maya Golden Landscape.
geography
The four protected areas of the Maya Golden Landscape are connected by the Maya Mountains. In addition, the area includes karst areas, caves, sinkholes and catchment areas of the rivers at the foot of the Maya Mountains, which also flow into the neighboring waters.
Habitats
The Maya Golden Landscape includes habitats of spectacular diversity. The karst areas also suggest that underground streams also extend to the Caribbean Sea . The habitats include rainforest , Belize pine forests , coastal wetlands, and mangrove forests .
The protected area also extends to marine protected areas, which are characterized by the important barrier reefs . This Meso-American Barrier Reef System is a key element for marine protection.
Threats - Disturbance History
The first documented forest fires were observed from 1998 to 2001. They usually arise in the dry season between March and May, often due to fires set in preparation for agricultural land and then spreading to adjacent agricultural areas and nearby forests. The burned areas appear insignificant on the map, but a total of 550 ha were affected in 1998 , 453 ha in 1999, 388 ha in 2000 and 6.4 ha in 2001.
In the period between 2002 and 2007, around 11,907 hectares of forest were damaged by fire. Hurricane Iris , which crossed the area in October 2001 and left large masses of dead vegetation on its way, made a major contribution to the spread of the fires . in the dry season the dead wood dried and in 2002 served as additional fuel, endangering a large savannah area, and in 2003 the hills of Golden Stream . Other major fires occurred in 2003 and 2005.
Fires in the period from 2008 to 2015 damaged approx. 5078 hectares, with particularly large sources of fire being reported in 2008. Fires were also reported in the karst heights west of Golden Stream and Medina Bank , where it had already burned in 2003. In 2013 the drought was particularly severe and consequently there were more fires. Particularly large fires have been reported near Indian Creek and southeast of Tambram.
meaning
Maya Golden Landscape is one of the largest areas in the country that still has intact tropical forests. The area consists of a multi-faceted mosaic of protected areas and forms a corridor for the animal world, which enables migration and gene exchange. With more than 250 species of birds, 93 species of mammals and 92 species of reptiles and amphibians in one of the protected areas alone, the corridor serves as a hotspot for species protection. An important focus is also on the internationally important jaguar reserve Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ya'axché Conservation Trust ( Memento of the original of April 7, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Mayan Golden Landscape . Whitley Fund for Nature. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ↑ Mayan Golden Landscape .
- ^ Ginny Fuhs: Conserving the Maya Golden Landscape . Fauna and Flora International.
- ^ Paul & Zoe Walker: Bladen Nature Reserve Management Plan. In: Bladen Nature Reserve Management Plan. Vol. 1: 10 [1] October 24, 2017.
- ^ Adam Henson: River to Reef - Exploring the Maya Golden Landscape in Belize . Fauna and Flora International. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ↑ Maya Golden Landscape . ArcGIS. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ↑ Maya Golden Landscape . ArcGIS. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ↑ Maya Golden Landscape . ArcGIS. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ Adam Henson: River to Reef - Exploring the Maya Golden Landscape in Belize . Fauna and Flora International. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ Paul & Zoe Walker: Bladen Nature Reserve Management Plan. In: Bladen Nature Reserve Management Plan. Vol. 1: 10 [2] October 24, 2017.
- ↑ Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary . Belize Audubon Society. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
