Sarstoon Temash National Park

Sarstoon Temash National Park. 19/10/05; Toledo; 16,955 ha; 15°58'N 089°00'W. National Park. A complex of several different terrestrial ecosystem types located on the southern frontier with Guatemala, bisected by two large rivers, one of which forms the border. Seasonally and permanently flooded forests predominate, with some 1,100 hectares of lowland sphagnum moss bog unique to the region, a saline/brackish inland lagoon, and 9,600 ha of saline swamps, with the country's most undisturbed and largest stand of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) and its only stands of Comfra Palm (Manicaria saccifera). Several threatened and vulnerable species are supported, such as Black Howler Monkey, the Hickatee Turtle, the tapir Tapirus bairdii, the West Indian Manatee, and Morelett's Crocodile. The buffer zone of the park is home to the indigenous Kekchi Maya and Garifuna people, both of which attach high cultural importance to parts of the site. Stands of mahogany, cedar, and rosewood are targets for illegal crossborder logging efforts. The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) is active in research and management planning for the site and has a co-management agreement with the government. Ramsar site no. 1562. Most recent RIS information: 2005.

All sites in Belize

Related news

Belize adds part of transboundary wetland