by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Mar. 17, 2025

Belize’s marine organizations are participating in the 14th Annual Reef Week which began on Saturday, March 15, and is ongoing until Saturday, March 22.

The week highlights the importance of Belize’s Barrier Reef to the environment, the economy, and the national identity by bringing together non-governmental organizations, tourism partners, and businesses.

“We pick one week of the entire year to focus on some of the activities that different organizations in Belize are tirelessly doing daily to protect the biodiversity of our barrier reef. So, it is something that we have been doing for some time, and collectively we can do our protection [and] highlight the work that we do more effectively,” said Desiree Arzu, Communications Coordinator of Wildlife Conservation Belize.

This year’s theme is, “Building Resilience from Ridge to Reef.”

“This was important to highlight because we want to enforce to those working with us … to let them know [that] what they do on land can affect the marine environment. Throwing the garbage on land, when it rains it can end up in the rivers and flow into the ocean, affecting our marine species,” said Arzu.

Throughout the entire week, the public is invited to participate in various social media activities by educating themselves on marine life in Belize. Major highlights of the week include a swimming event from Goff’s Caye, the traditional “Ride to the Reef” cycling event from Belmopan, and a grand educational fair in San Ignacio Town.