Uploaded October 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is one of the longest barrier reefs in the world, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It’s made up of 7 different protected areas, including the world famous Belize Blue Hole.
In 2001 though, Belize’s barrier reefs were severely damaged by Hurricane Iris. Corals were completely uprooted and the reef was left in a dire state. Laughing Bird Caye National Park was particularly hard hit.
That destruction made the restoration of Belize’s coral reef all the more remarkable, especially at a time when coral reefs around the world are under threat from climate change, coral bleaching, severe weather, development, and more.
What started off as a small reef restoration research project has since blossomed into a full-blown, country-wide conservation movement. The organization Fragments of Hope started off by raising young corals and replanting them when they were big enough to be put on the reef, but since then local Belizeans have joined the effort and the Belizean government has even adopted more stringent protections for the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.
You can learn more about their efforts here: fragmentsofhope.org
Enjoy!
Follow National Park Diaries on Instagram: @nationalparkdiaries
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is one of the longest barrier reefs in the world, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It’s made up of 7 different protected areas, including the world famous Belize Blue Hole.
In 2001 though, Belize’s barrier reefs were severely damaged by Hurricane Iris. Corals were completely uprooted and the reef was left in a dire state. Laughing Bird Caye National Park was particularly hard hit.
That destruction made the restoration of Belize’s coral reef all the more remarkable, especially at a time when coral reefs around the world are under threat from climate change, coral bleaching, severe weather, development, and more.
What started off as a small reef restoration research project has since blossomed into a full-blown, country-wide conservation movement. The organization Fragments of Hope started off by raising young corals and replanting them when they were big enough to be put on the reef, but since then local Belizeans have joined the effort and the Belizean government has even adopted more stringent protections for the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.
You can learn more about their efforts here: fragmentsofhope.org
Enjoy!
Follow National Park Diaries on Instagram: @nationalparkdiaries
