Miami University’s Project Dragonfly Takes Chad to Belize

It was a trip that I will never forget. One where I found myself traveling solo to another country for the first time, and to begin working on my Masters degree. It didn’t feel like it was really happening until I found myself waiting for my connecting flight in Houston, TX, between Colorado and Belize. That is where I stumbled upon two other students in the same position. Each student is given a yellow Earth Expedition tag to attach to their luggage so that you can find each other at the airport easily. So before I even made it to Belize, I was connecting with other people, like me, traveling to another country alone to study biology and conservation. For the rest of the trip I never felt like I was traveling solo anymore.

Home sweet home!

They set us up in these cool bungalows in the forest at the Tropical Education Center, which is connected with the Belize Zoo.

Sharon Matola

We received a special guided tour of the zoo, we ran a small group inquiry study there and the zoo’s founding director Sharon Matola gave us a wonderful lecture about the history of the zoo and the conservation programs happening there, such as the harpy eagle rehabilitation program and the problem jaguar rehabilitation program. Hear her story (Tedx talk) about the Belize Zoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsiZk7w9hmE.

The entire trip was inspirational, everyday was eventful and meaningful. What really spoke to me was meeting and learning about several organizations in Belize that are actively working on wildlife and environmental conservation. Each organization has a different style of conservation, from government funded to community run, we learned about how each of them contribute to the conservation of Belizean habitat and wildlife. We were able to walk a day in their shoes and witness their passion for the work. Apart from the amazing work of the Belize Zoo, we met with:

*The Community Baboon Sanctuary – preserving habitat for endangered howler monkeys and spider monkeys. This organization has a colorful history and relies upon the community for conservation.

Black Howler Monkey. Photographer: Bethany Snowden

*The Belize Manatee Conservation Project with Sea to Shore Alliance – Partnering with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), conservation research being conducted simultaneously with wildlife rehabilitation has brought back manatee populations from endangerment.

*Foundation for Wildlife Conservation at Runaway Creek – This non-government organization (NGO) works in a rain forest and savanna preserve, focusing on habitat protection, research, and threatened and endangered species monitoring.

*South Water Caye Marine Reserve – A government run organization within the Fisheries Department which works on marine management, conservation and research. Protecting the barrier reef habitat off the coast of Belize.

*Carrie Bow Cay Field Station – A research field station on a very small island, run by the Smithsonian, where researchers from all over the world can come and conduct studies of the coral reef ecosystem.

Overall there became a common theme linked between each organization. There is importance in the preservation on single species, however there needs to be a shift beyond the species level to focus more upon the ecology of the entire ecosystem (Pickett, 1992). The preservation of habitats, especially wildlife corridors are essential. The Belize Zoo is partnering with other organizations in the conservation of the Central Belize Corridor (CBC). Preserving this habitat will benefit the ecosystem and therefore hundreds of species of animals can flourish. This corridor is essential forested habitat that connects a vast amount of space in Belize and it must be protected. The Fisheries Department, with organizations such as the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, have had the same paradigm shift from a species focus to protecting large reserves, which have allowed the coral reef and other species to thrive, as apposed to unprotected areas (Carter, 1997).

I personally am a wildlife “nut” and because of these organizations I was able to see several threatened and endangered species, IN THE WILD! We did bird count surveys of yellow-head parrots, spotted manatees up river, found howler monkeys in the woods, and during a cave hike we looked at trail camera images, taken only days before, of tapirs and jaguars. We snorkeled for hours off of a small island called Tobacco Caye among the coral reef. I finally swam with sharks!

We also visited the Mayan archaeological site of Altun Ha and learned about the local history and culture. These experiences are made possible because of the conservation efforts by these organizations, working to preserve habitat, conducting research, and providing sanctuary and rehabilitation for these animals. I highly recommend traveling to Belize and supporting these organizations!

Carter, J., & Sedberry, G. R. (1997). The design, function and use of marine fishery reserves as tools for the management and conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef.

Pickett, S. T., Parker, V. T., & Fiedler, P. L. (1992). The new paradigm in ecology: implications for conservation biology above the species level. Conservation biology (pp. 65-88)

Tedx Talks. (2018, January 12). How to Build the Best Little Zoo in the World. retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsiZk7w9hmE.

University of Belize Environmental Research Institute (2018) Central Belize Corridor. (Accessed October 16, 2018)  http://www.uberibz.org/central-belize-corridor