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With Belize having banned all oil exploration practices, its local coral reef is now on UNESCO's list of endangered World Heritage Sites. The massive reserve system, which is imperative for the economy and the livelihoods of the Central American country, has experienced a tremendous recovery a few months after the introduction of the ban.
The Belize Barrier Reef comprises seven segments harboring more than 1,400 marine animal species. It is the second largest reef in the world, only smaller than the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, which has seen its own share of destruction by coral bleaching. Similar problems have affected this system, which also affects the population of Belize.
According to EcoWatch nearly half of Belize's inhabitants depend on the coral reef to survive. Tourism, fishing and other leisure activities are all valued at "about $ 200 million of Belize's GDP", or 10% of GDP. The reef is also home to endangered species such as the green turtle and the West Indian manatee.
"The reef is critical not only for the tourism industry, which employs one in four Belizeans, but also serves as a 'barrier'. "Against storm surges and beach erosion, which will only increase with climate change," Dana Krauskopf, owner of Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort near Belize City, told The Guardian . Belize's small system is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the latter having been added in 1996. Both have also been threatened due to coastal construction and oil exploration, which have permanently damaged the coral reefs.
Instead of letting it disintegrate, hundreds of thousands of people have been campaigning to raise awareness of the importance of the Belize Barrier Reef. They insisted that the law prohibit activities that would threaten its existence, including the ban on oil exploration last January. Only five months after its adoption, UNESCO has taken the reef from the list of threatened species.
"At a time when we see many threats to World Heritage sites, the Government of Belize is taking concrete steps to protect one of the most special places in the world." Marco Lambertini, WWF Director General International, declared EcoWatch . "We saw an incredible turnaround when the reef was threatened by seismic testing for oil just 18 months ago."
Belize Barrier Reef was on the list of threatened species since 2009 and officially withdrawn on Tuesday, June 26th. Once the decision is made, the World Wildlife Fund recognizes Belize as a leader in the fight for the protection of its ecosystem. Their country is only the third in the world to completely prohibit exploration at sea.
Environmental groups have been campaigning to eliminate this practice in Belize since 2006. 25% of the country's exports are based on oil, creating 3,000 barrels a day according to Quartz . However, their argument was that the protection of its coral reef would strengthen a stronger economy.
Coral reefs suffer from bleaching at a rate that is four times higher than over 30 years ago. To come back to the Great Barrier Reef, we've seen more than 900 miles of destruction in the last two years. Oil exploration is a big problem in the process as it adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, warming the climate and creating the bleaching effect.
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