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Welcome to Shipstern Nature Reserve !
Shipstern Nature Reserve is located in the north-eastern corner of Belize, a small country to the south of the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula, on the Caribbean Sea. The Reserve covers an area of more than 11’000 hectares (ca. 27’000 acres) and protects a wide array of habitats, ranging from saline wetlands and lagoons to Yucatan tropical moist and dry forests. Of the latter, one type of dry forest is so rare that it is only is found only in four different areas on the Yucatan Peninsula, and in Belize only in Shipstern !
Shipstern Nature Reserve is home to all five cat species of Belize, the endangered Baird’s Tapir and a myriad of other plant and animal species, some of them very rare. For example, almost 300 species of birds have been recorded for Shipstern. Since its inception, some species have not only returned to the reserve, but thrive today in impressive numbers, as, for example, the American Woodstork.
After almost 20 years of existence, Shipstern is today striving to secure a legal status for the reserve, in order to afford protection in perpetuity to this natural wonder of Belize. It exists only thanks to support from donors worldwide. It is an exemplary project that shows how concrete conservation measures supported by modest investments can make a real difference in the field. Join us in preserving this beautiful natural area ! |
