(February 05, 2020) Populations of white-lipped peccaries, a “new world” pig-like species usually found throughout Central American tropical forests, are in freefall due to changes in forest cover and human disturbance Species plays a major role in seed dispersal, engineers water holes, and is a food source for large predators and human communities Peccaries have lost up to 90 percent of their range Urgent action is needed to protect Mesoamerica’s  5 Great Forests, spanning...

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(January 21, 2020) Gray Angelfish. CREDIT: V. Alamina/WCS BELIZE CITY , BELIZE |  JANUARY 21, 2020 - The Senate of Belize passed a new Fisheries Resources Bill that will help make the country’s small-scale fisheries more sustainable for both marine life and people. Approved yesterday by majority of the Senate, the new and comprehensive Bill replaces previous legislation in place for almost seven decades and aims to modernize and transform Belize’s small-scale fishing industry....

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(January 21, 2020) ©V. ALAMINA/WCS JANUARY 21, 2020 - The Senate of Belize passed a new Fisheries Resources Bill that will help make the country’s small-scale fisheries more sustainable for both marine life and people. It replaces previous legislation in place for almost seven decades and aims to modernize and transform Belize’s small-scale fishing industry. The new legislation will ensure the sustainable use and management of the fishery resources and the conservation for the c...

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(October 08, 2019) A queen conch in Glover's Reef, Belize. CREDIT: Alexander Tewfik/WCS. NEW YORK , NY |  OCTOBER 08, 2019 - A recent study by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), the University of Miami, and Universidad de Puerto Rico has detected a decrease in the average size of adult queen conch (Lobatus gigas) in the waters of Belize, possibly the result of fishers using shell length rather than thickness as a reliable indicator of age. The study represents the first research to ...

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(September 22, 2019) NGOs, National Governments, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Join Forces to Protect Central America’s Largest Forests to Benefit All Life on Earth Mesoamerica's 5 Great Forests Initiative Photos and Video: Click HERE Mesoamerica’s five forests are home to more than 7.5 percent of the planet’s biodiversity, including the iconic jaguar (photo by Jayro Bardales) NEW YORK , NY |  SEPTEMBER 22, 2019 - Local and international NGOs—...

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(June 20, 2019) Belizean government to protect wildlife species and people in declaration to conserve the critical Maya Forest Corridor Agami Heron_WCS NEW YORK , N.Y. |  JUNE 20, 2019 - Leading conservation organizations, including Global Wildlife Conservation, Panthera, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and World Wildlife Fund, alongside The Belize Zoo, Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and Field School, and the University of Belize and its Enviro...

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(April 26, 2019) CREDIT WCS Paraguay Program NEW YORK , N.Y. |  APRIL 26, 2019 - Experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reacted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recently released recovery plan for the jaguar. The recovery has two overlapping emphases: the Pan American Recovery Unit (PARU), which ranges from southwest Arizona to Argentina; and the Northwest Recovery Unit (NRU), which extends from northwestern Mexico into the United States. WCS works r...

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(April 04, 2019) A spiny lobster in the waters of Belize. CREDIT: A. Tewfik/WCS BELIZE CITY , BELIZE |  APRIL 03, 2019 – The government of Belize has approved “The Expansion of Fisheries Replenishment (No-Take) Zones,” which will increase the total area of Belize’s protected waters from 4.5 percent to 11.6 percent, according to WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society). In this expansion, Belize also establishes its first protected area within its Exclusive Economic ...

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(February 07, 2019) Watch the Video BELIZE CITY , BELIZE |  FEBRUARY 07, 2019 - WCS shared a video today showing incredible footage of a jaguar swimming across Placencia Lagoon in southern Belize.  The video, shot by Belizean boat captain Darryl Lozano, shows the jaguar effortlessly swimming across a channel until it reaches some red mangroves on a shoreline. WCS recognizes the Placencia Lagoon as an important fish nursery, with rare Halophila seagrass and a mangrove forest sur...

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(December 18, 2018)   Experts declare that urgent action is required to avoid its extinction from Mesoamerica Results increase concerns that the region’s remaining wildlife is at a tipping point Download report here Download Spanish version of news release here   CREDIT: Apolinar Basora NEW YORK , N.Y. |  DECEMBER 18, 2018 - A new study by WCS, El Colegio de Frontera Sur, Washington State University and other key regional partners has found that t...

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