Shipstern Conservation & Management Area
| Shipstern Conservation & Management Area | |||
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| Location: | Corozal , Belize | ||
| Next city: | Sarteneja | ||
| Surface: | 87 km² | ||
| Founding: | 1989 | ||
The Shipstern Conservation & Management Area is a nature reserve in the Corozal District in northeast Belize .
The reserve includes a larger area around the Shipstern Lagoon and a smaller area around the Xo-Pol Lake. The protected area has a size of 87 km² and includes tropical rainforests , mangrove forests and the pirate palm (Pseudophoenix sargentii) dry forest, which can only be found in very few places on the coasts of Yucatan .
The Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative (CSFI), a non-profit organization that is also responsible for the Honey Camp National Park and the Freshwater Creek Forest Reserve, is responsible for the Shipstern Conservation & Management Area. The CSFI is financed by the International Tropical Conservation Fund (ITCF), which was founded by the Papiliorama in Kerzers (Switzerland) and the Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem (Netherlands).
history
In 1989 the ITCF established a nature reserve called Shipstern Nature Reserve , which was renamed Shipstern Conservation & Management Area in 2012. Shipstern has been implemented as a private reserve in the national nature conservation plan since 2012. At the same time, the CSFI committed to managing Shipstern as an IUCN Category II National Park. The Shipstern Conservation & Management Area is also a trust for the common good of the people of Belize.
The name Shipstern comes from a logging settlement of the same name, which was abandoned after Hurricane Janet in 1955. Shipstern probably comes from the English "Ship's turn" and described the place in the lagoon where the boats had to turn back. The name Shipstern describes not only the abandoned lumberjack settlement, but also the lagoon, the peninsula and a hidden Mayan ruin.
Originally, the breeding and export of butterfly pupae should have covered the expenses for the protection of the Shipstern Conservation & Management Area. However, since this business was in deficit, export to European and American was abandoned. For tourist reasons, however, butterflies are still bred for their own tropical garden.
organization
The Shipstern Conservation & Management Area is run by the Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative (CSFI). The CEO of the CSFI is Heron Moreno, who joined the non-profit organization in 2008. In addition to leading environmentalists, Belizean lawyers and politicians as well as the directors of the partner organizations Papiliorama and Burgers' Zoo are on the board of the organization.
In addition to the Shipsern Conservation & Management Area, the CSFI also protects the forests of the Honey Camp National Park and the Freshwater Creek Forest Reserve.
Mainly local employees work in the field, but in some cases also volunteer employees or community service providers from Switzerland. Work includes enforcement, surveillance, tourism, community service, and environmental education, among others.
flora
In the Shipstern Conservation & Management Area there is a great variety of different plants. This is despite the fact that the forest is in a secondary state as it was badly damaged by Hurricane Janet in 1955. Among other things, there is cedar and mahogany in the Shipstern Conservation & Management Area , both of which are endangered by illegal logging . The diversity of the fauna of Shipstern is so unique because mangrove forests , tropical rainforests , but also rain-green wet forests exist at the same time .
fauna
With around 60% of the area of Belize covered by forest and the population density only barely 14.1 / km 2 , the entire country provides a safe habitat for a wide variety of animals. The preservation of this habitat is also due to the fact that nature conservation has a higher priority in Belize than in the surrounding countries. This is due, among other things, to lobbying by the Belize Audubon Society in the decades following Belize's independence . The Belize Audubon Society continues to protect nine areas such as B. the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary or the Blue Hole National Monument .
Mammals
The five wildcats that exist in the rest of Belize have been sighted in Shipstern. These include the jaguar, puma, ocelot, long-tailed cat, and jaguarundi. In addition to the wild cats, tapirs, coatis, anteaters, Virginia opossums and deer inhabit the forests, while otters, bottlenose dolphins and manatees settle in the lagoons. A study found 22 different bat species. Among other things, the big hare's mouth bat (English Big Fishing Bat), which can be observed while fishing over the Xo-Pol lake.
When Hurricane Janet completely destroyed the reserve's forests in 1955, the monkey colonies of the Guatemala howler monkeys and the Geoffroy spider monkeys migrated . The Community Baboon Sanctuary, a little south of the Shipstern Conservation & Management Area, has already released 21 Guatemala howler monkeys (also known as baboons in Belize ) into the wild in recent years .
Birds
The reserve is above all a bird paradise. Here you can also find bird species that can be assigned to the drier climate of the Yucatan, as well as birds that can be assigned to the tropical rainforest climate. There are also many permanent bird species here, such as the fishing toucan , the line woodpecker and the sawack . According to studies, over 300 species of birds have been found. This area is probably the main source of food in Belize for the red heron . The occurrence of the glossy cat thrush is also significant here, and outside the reserve can only be found on some offshore islands. This area continues to be an important refuge for the golden lion amazon , the Yucatan nightjar , the Yucatan bluefin , the snow ibis or the golden trupial (Icterus auratus) . The most famous inhabitant of the area is the forest stork . This bird, on the red list of endangered species , lives here in a breeding colony of around 300 specimens.
Reptiles and amphibians
A total of 78 different species have been recorded here so far. These include tailed amphibians, frogs, toads, iguanas, snakes and crocodiles. Noteworthy here are u. a. the saltwater crocodiles, whose population is secured through a breeding program. The great cross- breasted turtle (Staurotype triporcatus) seems to have died out due to overfishing. The scorpion folding turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides) and the furrowed terrestrial turtle (Rhinoclemmys areolata) still populate the area in Shipstern.
fishes
There are numerous species of cichlid in the lagoons . Noteworthy is the great here Tail Cichlid ( Cichlasoma urophthalmus ), which has adapted its reproductive behavior in the region. The here earlier occurring sawfish is probably extinct here because of overfishing. Other fish species such as B. the Atlantic tarpon , spade fish or puffer fish can be found here.
Butterflies
A total of around 300 different butterfly species can be found here. Up to now about 122 knight butterflies (Papilionidae), whiteflies (Pieridae) and noble butterflies (Nymphalidae) have been recorded here. Furthermore, up to now 21 different bluebells (Lycaenidae) and 51 thick-headed butterflies (Hesperiidae) were counted . About every tenth species in Belize is only found in this area. Of course, the range of butterflies that can be observed fluctuates greatly. The greatest biodiversity can be found at the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dry season. There is another boost during the short dry season in August.
Enthusiast
49 different species of swarmers have been identified so far . Some can clearly be assigned to the dry Yucatan vegetation, e.g. B.:Manduca Wellingi. Others can only be found in the climatic conditions of the tropical rainforest, e.g. B.:Agrius Cingulatus or Xylophanes Tersa. Most enthusiasts can be found in the first months of the rainy season.
Silkworms
So far, 16 different species have been registered here, which, like the swarmers, can be assigned to two different climatic zones. The species found mainly come from the Ceratocampinae and Hemaleucinae families . Here and there one also meets Arsenurinae or Saturniinae .
Dragonflies
There have been a total of 54 different types of Dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies identified (Zygoptera).
be crazy
The various vegetation zones serve as refuge and hunting ground for numerous arachnids. The best-known representatives are the orb-web spiders and tarantulas .
insects
Numerous species of insects populate the area. Noteworthy here are e.g. B .: butterfly beetles or elephant beetles as well as several species of ants such as E.g .: driver ants or Pseudomyrmicinae .
natural reserve
The greatest threat to the ecosystem in Shipstern is humans. Above all, the illegal logging of hardwoods mahogany and cedar, as well as slash and burn , and the subsequent agricultural use, endanger the rainforest. The unprofessional lumberjacks usually not only damage the felled tree, usually also surrounding trees are swept away and the unusable part of the tree is left behind. Even poachers, who are primarily after the wild cats, decimate and thus endanger the survival of the game population.
The areas are protected primarily through regular patrols and law enforcement. On the other hand, the CSFI tries to sensitize the local population. This is done by providing information about the laws and the relevance of nature conservation. In addition, schoolchildren from the surrounding villages are regularly invited to guided tours of the CSFI headquarters.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative . CSFI , referenced November 13, 2015.
- ↑ Sarteneja . Homepage of the districts of Corozal and Orange Walk. Consulted October 15, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k studies . Downloads CSFI . Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ Belize Audubon Society . Belize Audubon Society website . Referred to on November 13, 2015.
- ↑ Wildtracks . Wildtracks homepage . Referred to on November 13, 2015.