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​Launched in 2011, the Adopt A Reef Program encourages stakeholders dependent on a healthy reef to monitor their favorite dive or snorkel site. Dive centers and marine guides that adopt sites can participate in one or all of ECOMAR's programs and can submit a monthly Coral Watch report, keep their reef clean of lionfish, and to report all sea turtles observed.
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Adopt a Reef Activities

Monitor for coral bleaching or disease 

Report whether or not you saw turtles
  
Remove all lionfish from your site 

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When you choose your sites to adopt, select your favorite sites!
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Monitoring levels of coral bleaching help identify resilient reefs.
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It's important to report whether or not you saw turtles on all dive or snorkel trips to the reef so we can measure abundance.
ECOMAR needs your help to monitor reef sites !

Dive centers, marine guides, coastal residents, NGOs and park rangers are asked to adopt your favorite reef site, whether it is a shallow snorkel site or deeper dive site.  If you can adopt more than one that will be great!  

We need sites of all depths monitored so that we can record changes on the reef over time. The first step in learning about the Belize Coral Watch Program is to learn how to identify healthy coral from bleaching or diseased coral and how to identify different growth forms of coral.

Dive shops are also encouraged you to keep your sites clean of lionfish.  Remember lionfish are the vacuum cleaners on the reef and eat all fish, up to 75% their body size so by removing them from your reef sites, these sites will support the traditional native fish!

The number of sea turtles that frequent your reef site is also important to record as this data will be used in the annual Sea Turtle Census.  This involves recording all dive or snorkel trips to the site, whether or not turtles are sighted, so we can estimate abundance of sea turtles in Belize.

Once you Adopt A Reef you will receive a "Certification of Adoption" for the site and will receive training materials that will guide you through the steps required to monitor the reef. The materials will show you how to report your observations on each of the following programs.

  • Coral Watch
  • Lionfish Project
  • Turtle Watch

When you Adopt a Reef and submit reports on a monthly basis then we can track the health of the reef and compare it to other sites throughout Belize.

Presented are maps of dive sites around Ambergris Caye, Turneffe and Lighthouse.  If you are adopting reef sites in other areas please provide site details on the form below.
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In Belize many divers harvest lionfish to protect the native fish on their reefs.

Adopt A Reef Today and Start Making a Difference one Reef at a Time!

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Map courtesy White Sands Dive Shop San Pedro Ambergris Caye
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Map courtesy of Turneffe Flats - Blackbird Caye, Turneffe Atoll
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Dive sites at Lighthouse Atoll.

Adopt a Reef!

Select sites from the maps on this page or send us your own sites!
    We hope you will choose all! This information will help us to prepare your package.
Submit
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ST GEORGE'S CAYE
Mailing Address: PO Box 1234, Belize City, Belize
Cel: + (501) 673-3022  Caye: + (501) 614-3483
Email:
[email protected]
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Copyright © 2023
  • Welcome
    • About >
      • Site Map
      • COMMUNITIES
      • Partners
      • Blog
    • References >
      • Classroom Tools
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Research Station
    • Research Trips >
      • Field Station
    • St George's Caye
    • Marine Research >
      • Conch
      • Dolphins
      • Fish
      • Manatees >
        • Manatees Research
        • Manatee ID >
          • Delfina
      • Sea Turtles >
        • Sea Turtle Rehab >
          • Bubbles
          • Grace
          • Hope 4 Freya
        • Gallow's Point >
          • Turtles Gallows Pt
          • Rhody Hope Majil
          • Hope 4 Nature
        • Robinson Point
    • Archaeology Project >
      • SGCAP 2014
      • SGCAP 2015
      • SGCAP 2016
  • Turtle Watch
    • Sea Turtle Census >
      • Nesting Beach Observations
      • In-Water Observations >
        • Photo ID
        • Turtle Recaptures
      • Stranded Sea Turtles >
        • Stranded Turtles 2010-2012
      • Illegal Take
    • Sea Turtle 101 >
      • Legislation
      • Classification
      • Anatomy
      • Life History
      • Species
      • Threats
      • Historical Importance
    • Nesting Beaches
    • Satellite Telemetry >
      • Tracking NOW >
        • St Kitts SASSY
      • Historical Tracks >
        • Belize BSTCN >
          • Gallow's Point ECOMAR
          • Gales Point GPWS
          • Hol Chan
          • Lighthouse BAS
          • Lighthouse MAR Alliance
          • Glovers ECOMAR
          • Glovers WCS
          • Port Honduras TIDE
        • Barbados UWI
        • Cayman Islands DOE
        • Costa Rica STC
        • Jamaica NOAA
        • Mexico NOAA
        • Mexico UNAM
      • Education Resources
    • Outreach Materials >
      • Turtle Watch Newsletters
    • Operation Green Turtle
    • Turtle Network >
      • In-Water Surveys
      • Sea Turtle Rehab
      • BSTCN Members
  • Coral Watch
    • Coral Bleaching 101 >
      • Healthy vs. Unhealthy Coral
      • Remote Sensing
    • Coral Watch Publications
    • Coral Network >
      • Coral Members
  • Lionfish
    • Lionfish Served Here!
    • History in Belize >
      • GCFI Fisherman Exchange
      • COMPACT Lionfish Project
    • Lionfish Publications
    • Caribbean Strategies >
      • Culling Protocol
  • Reef 365
    • Reef 365 Reports
  • Ocean Watch
    • Manatee Deaths >
      • 2017 Manatee Deaths
      • Archives Manatees
      • Manatee Facts
    • Climate Change
    • Oil Exploration
    • Ciguatera
    • Haulover Creek
    • Wildlife Interactions
  • Marine Mammals
    • Sightings >
      • False Killer Whale
      • Humpback Whale Sightings
      • Killer Whales
    • Whale Stamps
    • Marine Mammal Workshop >
      • Management Considerations
      • Interaction Guidelines
      • Vessels & Approaches
      • Swimming With Cetaceans
  • Get Involved
    • Adopt A Beach >
      • Adopt A Beach Sign Up
      • Adopted Beaches
    • Adopt A Reef >
      • Adopted Reefs
    • Volunteer
    • Reserve A Trip
  • Submit Report
    • Coral Watch
    • Lionfish Hunter
    • Oceans 365 Rare
    • Oceans 365 Report
    • Octopus
    • Turtle Watch In-Water
    • Turtle Watch Nesting Beach
    • Submit Report Nesting Beach Old
    • Turtle Shell 4 Sale
    • Turtle Watch Stranded
    • Marine Mammal Form
  • Gift Shop
  • Donate
  • Contact