Belize Marine Conservation Expedition ID-341
Overview
Join our team on Belize’s famous island of Ambergris Caye. This island is the closest you can get to the Belize Barrier Reef and Belize’s Great Blue Hole without heading out on a boat.
Here, we’ll work with you to complete your PADI Open Water or Advanced Open Water before heading out onto the reef to carry out research. Like many reefs around the world, the Belize Barrier Reef is impacted by coral bleaching, a phenomenon caused by the ocean heating as a result of the climate crisis.
Fortunately, Belize is somewhat of a marine conservation leader, being the first country to ban bottom trawling, a harmful commercial fishing practice, as well as all offshore oil exploration and drilling. You’ll be helping to empower these pioneering local agencies by collecting data on the biodiversity of reef species. While you’re underwater you might stand a chance of catching a glimpse of rare, endangered species such as hawksbill sea turtles and manatees.
Highlights
- Earn your PADI Open Water or Advanced Open Water.
- Contribute to the conservation of the second-largest coral reef system in the world.
- Gain hands-on experience in marine biology and marine conservation.
- Go for a recreational dive in Belize’s famous Great Blue Hole.
- In your free time, visit sacred Mayan cenotes, cave systems and temples surrounded by rainforests and waterfalls.
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Our Award-winning Partner
Conservation Careers has teamed up with an award-winning, mission-driven organisation with a team of passionate experts across the globe who will make your experience a truly unforgettable one.
Founded in 1998, they run programs in 21 locations, in 13 countries around the world, each aligned to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as the objectives of local partners. They welcome participants from all around the world and help facilitate their development into global citizens. This is how they achieve their mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
Their commitment to running high-quality sustainable development and experiential education programs has earned them recognition from numerous organizations such as Panthera, the Seychelles Parks & Gardens Authority, as well as Stanford, NYU, Duke, and Ohio State.
If you register your interest below, you’ll put you in touch with our partner to take the booking and to plan your trip!
Life on base
Our Belize base is located on the country’s largest island, Ambergris Caye, known for its proximity to the Belize Barrier Reef with its countless dive sites and spots to snorkel. Our accommodation is just a short walk from the beach and the island’s only town of San Pedro.
A typical day may involve training, diving and research. Participants should also expect to carry out diving gear maintenance or organisation such as refilling oxygen tanks and conducting safety tests. Days are rounded off with evening debriefs, followed by dinner and time to relax. In between your shifts on the project, you’ll have plenty of time to lounge on the beach, taking in Caribbean sunrises and sunsets and swapping stories with staff members and your fellow participants.
Your impact
All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
Our work in on the island of Ambergris Caye in Belize, is focused on the conservation of the second-largest barrier reef in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS), a recognised World Heritage Site. The reef is home to an abundance of coral species and many other endangered marine species such as the green sea turtle and West Indian manatee.
The reef, like many others around the world, faces many conservation challenges. Rising ocean temperatures as result of the climate crisis cause corals to become damaged in a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. Another challenge the reef shares with other marine habitats around the world is plastic pollution. Invasive species, such as lionfish, and pollution as a result of nearby farms, also pose a threat. In addition, while tourism can be an excellent contributor to the reef’s conservation, it needs to be managed effectively to ensure that no harm is caused. Mangroves are also a key factor in the protection of the reef and, among other challenges, these are under threat from unsustainable coastal development practices.
Fortunately, Belize is a leader in effective conservation practices and has implemented several innovative policies and initiatives of the years, including banning bottom trawling, a form of harmful commercial fishing, as well as offshoring oil prospecting and drilling. Our work in Belize involves supporting the country’s initiatives.
Our team carries out scientific surveys of the fish, coral and invertebrate species found at dive sites along the BBRRS. We then deliver this data to the authorities in charge of making decisions about the conservation management of the BBRRS.
The main United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) the team contributes towards is Goal 14: Life Below Water.