Glover's Reef is a partially submerged

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gro ...

located off the southern coast of

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

, approximately 45 kilometres from the mainland. It forms part of the outermost boundary of the Belize Barrier Reef, and is one of its three

s, besides Turneffe Atoll and

Lighthouse Reef Lighthouse Reef is an atoll in the Caribbean Sea, the easternmost part of the Belize Barrier Reef and one of its three atolls, the other two being Turneffe Atoll and Glover's Reef. Lighthouse Reef is located about southeast of Belize City. The ...

Topography

The oval-shaped atoll is long and wide. The interior lagoon is dotted with around 850 reef patches and pinnacles rising to the surface. Major cays include Amounme Point Cay, Northeast Cay, Long Cay, Middle Cay and Southwest Cay.

Ecology

Glover's harbours one of the greatest diversity of reef types in the western Caribbean. A large spawning site for the endangered Nassau grouper (''Epinephelus striatus'') is located at the northeastern end of the atoll. It has been identified as one of only two viable sites remaining for the species, of nine originally known locations. In 2002, it was declared a special marine reserve, permanently closed to fishing.

Conservation

The Glover's Reef Marine Reserve was established as a national protected area in 1993 under the Fisheries Act, and is managed under the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The reserve encompasses the marine area of the atoll, totaling approximately . According to the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the W ...

(WWF), it is considered one of the highest priority areas in the

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Wit ...

n reef system, providing nursery and feeding areas and a unique habitat for

lobster Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, ...

conch Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends). In North Am ...

and

finfish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

. In 1996, it was designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

as one of seven protected areas that together form the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (a

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

-listed site). The marine reserve is currently divided into four different management zones, with each zone having strict regulations defining activities that are permitted and prohibited. *General Use Zone - , 74.6%; *Conservation Zone - , 20.2%; *Wilderness Zone - , 0.8%, closed to visitors; *Seasonal Closure Zone - , 4.4%, closed to all fishing from start December to end February. Where this zone overlaps with the grouper spawning aggregation site (below), it is closed to fishing all year round. A fifth zone has recently been created to offer greater protection to the northeast spawning aggregation site. It largely overlaps with the Seasonal Closure Zone. It is permanently closed to all fishing. The protected area is considered to be within

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

's category IV: a Habitat/Species Management Area, with active management targeted at conservation through management intervention. The

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...

operates the Glover's Reef Research Station on Middle Cay. It was opened in 1997 for the purpose of promoting and facilitating long-term conservation and management of the wider Belize Barrier Reef complex. Since its opening, the station has hosted more than 200 scientific and research expeditions.

Topography

Ecology

Conservation

References

External links