The Burdon Canal Nature Reserve in

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern 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 maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

is a low-lying basin, comprising the backswamps of the Belize River/Haulover Creek delta. It is permanently waterlogged, with a gradient of saline to

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...

arising from regular tidal inundation at the seaward fringe and freshwater flooding from inland. During the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

, parts of the reserve may become hypersaline. The site's elevation is generally

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, but rises to approximately along river banks. It receives approximately to of rain per year. The tide in the Canal is semi-diurnal, and the water level at the Canal Bridge lags about 2-3 hours behind the centre of

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

Wildlife

The site's bird life, Morelet's crocodiles,

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

and odonata have been examined, along with adjacent waterways further down the Canal and along the Haulover Creek. Overall, about 50 birds were recorded. Meerman also includes incidental notes on plants and mammals encountered. Results from studies suggest that sites adjacent to the current reserve, namely the Haulover Creek and Burdon Canal between Jones and Northern Lagoon, contain higher biodiversity than the reserve itself. The land cover of the reserve and surrounding area has been mapped and is shown on large scale colour air photos held by the Forest Department. The reserve's vegetation is almost entirely Red Mangrove, with a belt of mixed freshwater swamp species such as Bullet Tree around Fabers Lagoon.

References

* http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/parkburdoncanal.html

External links

Burdon Canal Nature Reserve
ambergriscaye.com Protected areas of Belize Protected areas established in 1992 1992 establishments in Belize {{belize-geo-stub