The Toledo district of southern Belize, on the Caribbean Sea, contains some of the country’s most pristine natural areas. After many years of effort, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) persuaded the government to establish the Port Honduras Marine Reserve there.
TIDE is a small nongovernmental organization with limited resources. But it is responsible for management of the entire 209,298-acre reserve, which contains 133 islands. There has been significant poaching in the reserve by outside fishermen. With Seacology’s support, TIDE built a highly visible ranger station on an island, Abalone Caye, near the reserve’s most sensitive area.