The Hol Chan Marine Reserve was established as a marine protected area in 1987 under the Fisheries Act (Statutory Instrument # 57) Laws of Belize. It incorporates the southernmost marine and coastal areas of Ambergris Caye including the barrier reef, seagrass beds and the mangrove islands of Boca Chica and Cangrejo Shoals. A zoning scheme was developed in order to ensure sustainable use and guarantee its conservation. Hol Chan is divided into four zones which include no-take areas and zones that regulate and promote sustainable fishing practices.
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History
The Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR) is an IUCN Category VI Reserve, originally located four miles southeast of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, and was the first marine reserve to be declared in Belize as a multi-use protected area. Declaration was made in July 1987 in accordance with Section 7 of the Fisheries (Amendment Act) of 1983, in response to concerns over destructive fishing and diving at the site. The particular geomorphology of the channel in the area, coupled to the abundant fishery resources and interconnected coral reef, seagrass beds and mangrove ecosystems provided additional justification and persuasion for the designation of the site as a marine reserve. Consistent with the Fisheries Act, the HCMR was established “to ensure, increase and sustain the productive service and integrity of the marine resources for the benefit of all Belizeans of present and future generations”.
In 1999 the HCMR saw the addition of a General Use Area and two Exclusive Recreation Areas, the latter two being Shark Ray Alley and Amigos del Mar Dive Wreck. In an effort to increase protection of critical coral reef habitats in the buffer zone of the reserve, the Government of Belize expanded the Hol Chan Marine Reserve on February 17, 2016 to include three new areas: Mexico Rocks snorkel and dive site area; the mangrove wetland area including the Mata and Frances Lagoon; and the shoals that include Los Bajos and Los Salones. This recent expansion has made the reserve about 25 times bigger than its original size at time of declaration in 1987, and reconfirms the strategic position of the HCMR in consolidating marine conservation and ecosystem protection efforts in the Northern Belize Barrier Reef complex. The HCMR is now 103,058 acres or 41,706 hectares (Wildtracks, 2019).
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