Wildlife Animals in Belize
After declaring independence in 1981, Belize enacted the Wildlife Protection Act-Chapter 220 of the Laws of Belize, it is the sole law aimed in the protection of the country’s wildlife. Wildlife in Belize is defined as any undomesticated mammal, reptile or Bird, (amphibian) and any egg, nest or part or product thereof. Belize is only two hundred miles long and a little more than sixty miles wide, it hosts a remarkable abundance of flora and fauna. It is the home of more than 150 species of mammals, 549 birds, 150 amphibians and reptiles, nearly 600 species of freshwater and marine fish and 3,408 species of vascular plants.
The Forest Department under the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development is the regulating body entrusted in the enforcement of the Wildlife Protection Act. The Wildlife Protection Act main goal is to conserve the over 100 globally threatened species from the risk of local extinction. The National List of Critical Native Species include: 11 Critically Endangered Species, 31 Endangered Species and 63 Vulnerable Species.
In Belize, threats to wildlife from the illegal wildlife trade has been historically marginal due to the low population pressure and large wilderness areas. The major exception are parrots, pet parrots is considered part of the Belize culture by many people at all levels of society. The pressures on wildlife have increased over the last ten years with the increasing: human population and footprint and forest clearance and fragmentation. The percentage of forest cover in Belize has declined from 74.4% in 1980 to 60.3% in 2014.
In the last five years, the Forest Department has been strengthen by adopting a Wildlife Program, providing more active management and protection of wildlife. The Program is responsible for the Convention on Biological Diversity, as is Belize is striving to meet its obligations in maintaining its threatened species, including those targeted by the wildlife trade. It is also a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), this limits Belize in the international trade of threatened wildlife through the CITES permitting system. Hence, the Wildlife Program is charged with the responsibility of protecting wildlife from hunting, poaching and other extraction activities.
As part of its strategies for dealing with national trade issues in Wildlife, the Belize Forest Department has Memorandum of Understandings with five rehabilitation centers in Belize: Belize Bird Rescue, Belize Raptor Centre, Wildtracks Rehabilitation Program (Primate and Manatee), American Crocodile Education Sanctuary and Sea to Shore Alliance. These provide facilities for confiscated wildlife and are the only centers permitted to rehabilitate wildlife in Belize.
The Forest Department has also implemented close and open seasons for popular hunted games species such as: deer (male and female), armadillo, gibnut, peccaries, iguanas and game birds.