On Friday, March 10th, a group of non-governmental organizations, tourism partners, and members from the business community came together to host a fair celebrating Reef Week 2023. The event is celebrated in different areas of the country each year. This year’s reef fair was held in San Pedro Town, featuring educational booths, games, activities, music, food, and drinks.
The annual activity was held under ‘For health, wealth and pleasure, our reef is a treasure!’ Reef Week 2023 was celebrated from March 4th through the 11th. Over the past few days, there have been river clean-ups, plastic art competitions, reef and mangrove quiz sessions, social media trivia, and even a Run for the Reef race that took place across the country.
The fair was held at central park in San Pedro from 9AM to 3PM. There was a short opening ceremony presided over by Deseree Arzu from the Wildlife Conservation Society Belize Global Program. She welcomed everyone to the educational event and noted that the occasion continues to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the barrier reef. The public was reminded that it is also their responsibility to support conservation efforts and be part of the ongoing goal to preserve these valuable natural resources.
Many islanders took some time to visit the different booths assembled at the park. There was plenty of information on topics like reef and mangrove conservation, biodiversity, lionfish population in Belize, and the works of some organizations like Oceana, World Wildlife Fund, Belize Electricity Limited, the Belize Tourism Industry Association, and the Belize Tourism Board.
Activities at the park saw people learning more about the country’s natural resources, which support tourism and fisheries. Many walked away with new knowledge; some even won fabulous prizes after participating in fun and educational games.
Organizers thanked everyone who supported the events, the organizations that participated this year, and all the volunteers and sponsors who made the week-long activity possible. Organizers also thanked the Belize Audubon Society, Belize Fisheries Department, Belize Tourism Industry Association, Belize Tourism Board, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute, Crocodile Research Coalition, Ecomar Belize, Healthy Reefs Initiative, KREM, MarAlliance, MAR Fund, Oceana, Reef Keeper Belize, SEA Belize, Belize Solid Waste Management Authority, Splash Dive Center, The Nature Conservancy, Tobacco Caye Marine Station, Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association, Wildlife Conservation Society, and World Wildlife Fund.
