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Co-ordinated by the Belize-based non-profit Fragments of Hope, the coastal community of Placencia Village in Stann Creek District, southern Belize, has spent over a decade planting hundreds of thousands of fragments of coral amongst hurricane-ravaged reefs.

Guides, fishers, divers and snorkellers are trained to plant coral and monitor its development under a community-focused system that’s seen coral coverage in protected areas off the coast of Placencia rebound from 6 per cent to 60 per cent.

Placencia has become one of the most successful and long-lasting coral regeneration sites in the world, and the community-based conservation model is now being expanded in order to protect and regenerate large swathes of Belize’s vast, but endangered, barrier reef.

View from Gladden Spit, an island in Belize Barrier Reef.Richard Collett

Why protect the Belize Barrier Reef?

The Belize Barrier Reef is the second-largest reef system in the world. Stretching for 190 miles along the coast of Belize, it’s home to hundreds of species of coral, fish, turtles, molluscs and marine mammals.

It’s also vital to the Belizean economy – the World Wildlife Fund estimates that the reef accounts for 15 per cent of the country’s GDP and provides work for upwards of 200,000 people in the fishing and tourism industries.

But the Belize Barrier Reef is under threat from coral bleaching events linked to climate change, trawling, oil exploration, and natural disasters.

In 2001, huge sections of the Belize Barrier Reef were devastated when Hurricane Iris slammed into the Placencia Peninsula. Coral overage in the area was reduced from an estimated 50 per cent to a low of 6 per cent, endangering an already fragile ecosystem while putting local livelihoods at risk. 

Belize was wrecked after Hurricane Iris in 2001FERNANDO MORALES/AFP

Lisa Carne, the founder of Fragments of Hope and a marine biologist from the USA who has been living in Belize since the 1990s, explains how many wrote the reef off for good.

“After Hurricane Iris, everyone in Placencia was saying the reef is dead,” Carne explains. “The general feeling was that the reef couldn’t be saved, and no one was interested in conservation projects”.

Reproducing coral through a genius process

Carne had other ideas. 

Many coral species can reproduce asexually through a process called fragmentation. 

After seeing fragments of broken Elkhorn coral in the seagrass in Ambergris Caye, a popular tourist destination in northern Belize, Carne decided it must be possible to transplant coral cuttings to start new colonies in vulnerable areas like Placencia.

Lisa Carne, founder of Fragments of Hope.Richard Collett

Using a similar methodology for transplanting and growing coral, penned by fellow marine biologist Dr Austin Bowden-Kerby, as a basis, Carne began to establish coral nurseries in Placencia where coral cuttings could be grown and used to regenerate the reefs.

From the beginning, the project has always been community-focused. 

Carne explains how it was the local fishers and tour guides who began updating her on the positive progress of the coral nurseries she began planting among the decimated reefs.

Andin 2006, Carne received funding that allowed her experiments to expand.

In 2009, restoration efforts took off when Carne launched the ‘Coral Nursery Project’. 

Restoring coral in the Belize Barrier Reef.Fragments of Hope

The goal was to save the once vibrant coral reef at Laughing Bird Caye National Park, a protected area the local community had successfully lobbied the government to protect as a national park,before it was hit by Hurricane Iris.

This formed the basis for the community-based conservation charity ‘Fragments of Hope’, which in 2013 was registered as a non-profit.

A successful model of community-based conservation

Fragments of Hope provides the training needed under Belizean law to handle coral. The charity trains fishers, tour guides, boat crews, divers, and volunteers from the community to trim and monitor coral in underwater nurseries, and to plant and monitor coral in restoration areas.

With the help of the community, Fragments of Hope has now planted upwards of 85,000 fragments of coral in Laughing Bird Caye National Park alone.

The non-profit also runs extensive outreach projects, providing schools across Belize with educational resources and materials that will allow the next generation to continue to protect the Belize Barrier Reef.

From the original coral nurseries at Laughing Bird Caye National Park, the community has now established 23 sites around Placencia. Carne explains how a recent surveying project using drone technology allowed them to accurately quantify the extent of coral coverage in the area.

Laughing Bird Caye National Park now has coral coverage of 60 per cent, higher than the coverage before Hurricane Iris. The coral is now a foundation for a thriving marine ecosystem, where tourists can snorkel and dive with rays, tropical fish and turtles.

“More coral equals more fish,” says Carne of the community-based conservation model. “And it’s amazing how much of a difference you can make in a decade. We now have tour guides who can go out and show their guests a coral reef ecosystem, not just rubble.”

The success of the project hasn’t gone unnoticed, and Fragments of Hope is now expanding its work across multiple sites along the length of the Belize Barrier Reef.

Community conservation is the way to saving Belize’s coral reef.Fragments of Hope

Government agencies are also stepping up to the challenge. Bottom trawling is now banned in Belize, important fish species like the Parrotfish are protected by law and oil exploitation close to the reef is now illegal.

Fragments of Hope has also announced a new collaboration with SECORE International, an organisation that promotes coral reef restoration worldwide.

The partnership will allow the non-profit to begin implementing coral seeding across their restoration sites, a process that allows coral to be developed sexually, rather than asexually. This increases genetic diversity and improves the long-term health of the coral reefs.

Their philosophy is simple: ‘more fish = more coral’.

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Climate change will cause one in six of the planet’s species to be lost forever if we fail to take action on the crisis, according to a study in 2015.

There are currently 17 animals on the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) critically endangered list, including three species of rhino, six primates, and two big cats.

Five of the species on the list have approximately 100 animals or fewer left on the planet, including the Saola, of which there are only around 20 still around.

What is a Saola and why is it the fastest declining animal in the world?

Deep in the remote Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam lives a species known as the ‘Asian unicorn’, or Saola. 

It is an animal so rare that biologists have never seen it in person in the wild and it’s so unknown that there’s not a single one in captivity, anywhere on Earth.

It’s so endangered that if it isn’t found soon, it will certainly go extinct.

A group of scientists are planning to launch an unprecedented two-year search to find some of the only remaining Saolas and establish a breeding program to save them. They’re building one of the most specialised wildlife tracking teams ever seen, integrating Indigenous wildlife trackers, specially-trained detection dogs, and state-of-the-art DNA tracing technology.

They’re just waiting for the investment to get started. So to help save the rarest land mammal on the face of the Earth, you can do so here. 

These are the top 10 most endangered species

While all of the species on the WWF’s critically endangered list are at risk, some of them are on their way to becoming completely extinct.

Ethical travel company Volunteering Solutions has gone through the official list to find out which species is reducing in numbers the fastest.

10. Sunda Tiger

This magisterial tiger, native to Indonesia, is decreasing at a rate of 19 per cent every decade.

Sunda TigerCanva

9. Sumatran Elephant

As one of the three recognised subspecies of Asian Elephant, the Sumatran is also native to Indonesia and is decreasing at a rate of 19 per cent every decade.

Sumatran ElephantCanva

8. Bornean Orangutan

These highly intelligent orangutans are native to Borneo and are decreasing at a rate of 20 per cent every decade.

Bornean OrangutanCanva

7. Eastern Lowland Gorilla

The majestic Eastern Lowland gorilla, sometimes called Grauer’s gorilla, is endemic to the mountainous forests of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are decreasing at a rate of 24 per cent every decade.

Eastern Lowland GorillaCanva

6. Yangtze Finless Porpoise

This rare and endangered Chinese river porpoise is decreasing at a rate of 33 per cent every decade.

Yangtze Finless PorpoiseCanva

5. Sumatran Rhino

Sumatran rhinos are the smallest of the living rhinoceroses and the only Asian rhino with two horns. Sadly, they are decreasing at a rate of 35 per cent every decade.

Sumatran RhinoCanva

4. African Forest Elephant

The African Forest Elephant is native to humid forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin, the species is decreasing by 47 per cent every decade.

African Forest ElephantCanva

3. Cross River Gorilla

This increasingly rare great ape lives in the forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region at the headwaters of the Cross River (Nigeria). The species is decreasing at a rate of 51 per cent every decade.

Cross River GorillaCanva

2. Vaquita

The vaquita is a small porpoise found only in the northern Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) in Mexico and is an animal that always looks like it’s smiling.

The species is decreasing at a rate of 76 per cent every decade, meaning it is likely to be completely extinct by 2050.

A dead vaquita (there are hardly any photos left of them alive)AFP PHOTO / WWF/ OMAR VIDAL

1. Saola

The Saola, also called the ‘Asian unicorn’, is a beautiful bovine creature and one of the world’s rarest large mammals. It lives in forests in the Annamite Range of Vietnam and Laos.

The Saola is decreasing by a whopping 80 per cent every decade, meaning that it is likely to be completely extinct by 2050.

A rare sighting of a Saola in Vietnam© David HULSE / WWF

How can you stop species going extinct?

You may not think preventing animals from going extinct is a job you can do yourself. But just like using a reusable water bottle or bringing a canvas bag to the food shop, if we all thought sustainable lifestyles didn’t work – we wouldn’t achieve anything.

There are small things you can do which could make a significant impact on wildlife around the world. By just picking up a few habits around the house, you could make a difference for endangered species.

Here is a list of things you can do, according to the World Animal Foundation.

Don’t use harsh chemicals at home

Toxic chemicals used in laundry, cleaning, dish washing and personal care products end up in underground waters, poisoning aquatic life and any animals that feed on them.

Choose non-toxic products, or make your own.

Dispose of waste properly

Recycle plastics, paper, metal cans and glass. When you take out your rubbish bin, make sure that the bag is sealed safely so you don’t litter by accident.

Dangerous compounds such as car fluids, paint, bleach, batteries and pesticides should be disposed of properly at a specialised facility or else they risk making their way into the environment, where animals can come across them.

Prevent soil erosion

Take all necessary measures to prevent soil erosion in your local area and protect water resources used by wild animals close by.

For example, when you clear out vegetation, you must make sure any loose sediment is kept away from natural waterways.

Maintain a healthy garden to help local wildlife near by.Canva

Maintain a healthy garden

Populate your garden with native plants and ask local experts to help you fight off any invasive plant species. Replace toxic pesticides and herbicides with safer options. Sterilise bird feeders and baths often to stop diseases from spreading.

And prevent wild animals from raiding pet bowls by bringing pet food indoors overnight.

Support an organisation that fights to save endangered species

If you care a lot about saving a particular endangered habitat or species, seek out an organisation on a mission and volunteer or donate.

Lead by example

As you gain more insight about how to protect endangered wildlife, you will become more capable of conveying that knowledge to other people. It is more efficient to share your own relevant efforts and experiences with friends and family, than simply flooding them with dos and don’ts.

To lead by example is the most effective way to show people how to start changing their lives.

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