Bacalar Chico

Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve is a protected marine area located at the northern tip of Ambergris Caye in the Belize District. Designated in 1996 alongside the adjacent Bacalar Chico National Park, the marine reserve protects a diverse assemblage of coral reef, seagrass bed, and mangrove habitats within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-longest barrier reef in the world. The site forms part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The marine reserve encompasses extensive tracts of seagrass meadows, patch and barrier reef formations, and the largest lagoon on Ambergris Caye, Laguna de Cantena. Over 500 species of fish, 65 species of hard corals, 45 hydroids, and 350 mollusk species have been recorded within its waters. Rocky Point, within the reserve, is the only location in Belize where the barrier reef touches the shoreline, making it an ecologically unique site for sea turtle nesting and reef research.