Shipstern Nature Reserve
BELIZE - Shipstern Nature Reserve is established in 1990, and until today exists on the support from donors worldwide. The main goal is to implement active and practical conservation, to make a real difference in the field. The nature reserve still harbours an astonishing diversity of wildlife, and the Shipstern Lagoon is home to many shore and wetland birds. The reserve is covered in the unique plant and tree species typical for the seasonal and dry forests of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Shipstern 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 and protects a wide array of habitats, ranging from saline wetlands and lagoons to Yucatan tropical moist and dry forests. Shipstern is today in the process of becoming a National Park.
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. Since its inception, some species have not only returned to the reserve, but thrive today in impressive numbers, as, for example, the American Woodstork. Deep in the forests, the Rainbow Toucan, the Yellow-headed and Yucatan Parrots, and unique species such as the Yucatan Woodpecker, find refuge and breeding grounds. Shipstern is also of prime importance for over-wintering migratory species from North America.
Finally, Shipstern is home to an astonishing diversity of other animals. Reptiles and amphibians number over 70 species, whereas the butterflies are represented by more than 270 species!
The rare coastal vegetation type Kuka-Palm Dry Coastal Forest exists only in Shipstern on Belize's mainland. This forest type is rapidly disappearing because of tourism development along the peninsula. Several species of trees find their last shelter in Shipstern, as legal and illegal logging has dramatically depleted stocks of the mahogany and Spanish cedar species throughout the country. Besides the rare Kuka-Palm, several other astonishing species occur in the dryer areas of the reserve, including the Purple Gumbo-Limbo and the Tuc Tree.
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Shipstern Nature Reserve
Shipstern is home to an astonishing diversity of animals. Our projects are all centered around the protection of the species in our reserve. Reptiles and amphibians number over 70 species, whereas the butterflies are represented by more than 270 species!
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