MANAMA, Bahrain (26 June 2018) – Belizeans and environmentalists worldwide are celebrating the removal of the Belize Barrier Reef, one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, from UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger at a World Heritage Committee meeting in Bahrain today.

The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site had been inscribed on the In Danger list for almost a decade due to the threat of irreversible damage from harmful coastal construction and oil exploration, as well as the absence of a solid regulatory framework. Seismic testing for oil was permitted just 10 kilometres from the site as recently as October 2016, leading to a public outcry from Belizeans organised by a coalition of local civil society, including WWF, Oceana, Belize Tourism Industry Association, Belize Audubon Society and Belize Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. Local efforts were supported by an international campaign led by WWF.

Belize’s government has over the last eighteen months put in place the necessary protections to secure the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site from immediate threats. A landmark moratorium on oil exploration in Belizean waters was adopted in December 2017, making Belize one of only three countries in the world with such legislation2. In June 2018, the government of Belize enacted critical regulations to protect the country's mangroves and committed to legislate the current voluntary moratorium on selling the public lands within the World Heritage site.   

Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF-International, said:
“WWF welcomes the removal of the Belize Barrier Reef from the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger. At a time when we are seeing numerous threats to World Heritage sites, Belize’s government has taken real action to protect one of the world’s most special places.

“We have seen an incredible turnaround from when the reef was being threatened by seismic testing for oil just eighteen months ago. Belizeans stood up to protect their reef, with hundreds of thousands more globally joining the campaign to save our shared heritage. In taking swift collaborative action, Belize has shown that it is possible to reverse nature loss and create a sustainable future.”

As the main part of the Mesoamerican Reef, the world’s second largest barrier reef system, the Belize Barrier Reef has been recognised as a World Heritage site since 1996. Home to hundreds of species, the reef is also an important economic resource for Belize with approximately 190,000 people supported by incomes generated through reef-related tourism and fisheries.

Nadia Bood, Mesoamerican Marine Scientist at WWF in Belize, said:
“Today is a proud day for Belize. Our reef supports both an incredible diversity of wildlife and the livelihoods of more than half our population. By enacting the necessary protections for the reef, including a landmark oil moratorium last year, Belize’s government has recognised the need to protect the nature on which its people depend.”

The formal decision by the World Heritage Committee to remove the Belize Barrier Reef from the In Danger list announces Belize’s transition to global leader in marine conservation. However, just as important is how Belize achieved the delisting: it was able to take the decisive action necessary to protect the reef by working with, and consulting, all stakeholders, including IUCN, UNESCO and civil society.

Fanny Douvere, Coordinator of the Marine Programme at the World Heritage Centre at UNESCO, said:
“The removal of the Belize World Heritage Site from the in danger list is the result of Belize putting in place the necessary protections for the Belize Barrier Reef. Working together with international organisations and civil society, it was able to identify and take the actions needed to secure this incredible site from immediate threats, and create a collaborative model that others can follow.”

WWF encourages others to follow the compelling example of collaborative action set by Belize.

Lambertini commented:
“The journey of Belize’s removal from the in danger list shows that when governments, international institutions and civil society work together, it is possible to avoid harmful activities that threaten our planet’s unique places in favour of sustainable alternatives that will secure a prosperous future for all.”

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Notes to Editors:

• Photos are available here.
• Interviews available on request.

For more information, please contact:
Scott Edwards | WWF | sedwards@wwfint.org | +44 7887 954116

• Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage is a group of organizations dedicated to the protection and sustainability of the Belize's natural heritage. Leading members include: The Belize Audubon Society, WWF, Oceana, Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy and Belize Tourism Industry Association.
• France, Costa Rica and Belize are the only three countries in the world with a moratorium on oil exploration in their waters. 
• For 30 years WWF has been working to conserve Belize’s unique biodiversity, tackling its greatest threats while improving the lives of vulnerable communities, as part of its integral scope in the Mesoamerican Reef System. 
• Like the Belize Barrier Reef, nearly half of natural World Heritage sites worldwide are threatened by industrial pressures, putting the livelihoods and well-being of communities who depend on them at risk and threatening their long-term viability. WWF’s campaign, Together Saving Our Shared Heritage, is working to strengthen the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and reinforce the OECD guidelines that protect these sites. To date, over 450,000 people have expressed their support for the protection of the Belize World Heritage site through the campaign.