Besides the research station, Middle Caye is also home to the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve staff of the Fisheries Department. The land where the ranger station is located is leased by the Belize Fisheries Department for $1 per year from WCS. The purpose of this is to provide a base of operations for the Fisheries Department to manage Glover's Reef Marine Reserve in the interests of the atoll as a whole and all its stakeholders. The ranger station contains an office and residence for the reserve manager, reserve biologist and two reserve rangers.
Visit the Belize Fisheries Department website to learn more about the marine reserve.
History of the Marine Reserve
In the 1970’s, Glover’s Reef Atoll was identified by a team of renowned coral reef scientists as the best site in the Caribbean to carry out “long-term, multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional investigation of coral reef ecosystems.” In 1993, with the support of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and others, the Atoll was designated as the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve (GRMR) by the Government of Belize.
The GRMR was established to maintain ecological processes, preserve genetic diversity, achieve sustainable yields through informed management of species and their habitats, maintain natural areas for education and research, and provide social and economic benefits through ecologically sensitive tourism and recreation
In 1996, the Reserve was also designated by the United Nation’s Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one of seven Marine Protected Areas forming the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site.
