News Room

News Room

(June 15, 2016) Secure Fishing Rights Approach Serves as Global Model for Small-Scale Fisheries (Belmopan, Belize – June 15, 2016) This week Belize becomes the first country in the world to adopt a national, multispecies secure fishing rights program for all of its small-scale fisheries. After a long struggle to address illegal and open-access fishing, a partnership of fishing communities and non-governmental organizations, under the leadership of Belize’s Fisheries Department, created a...

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(January 08, 2016) WCS’s Janet Gibson appointed as MBE for conservation work in Belize NEW YORK (January 8, 2016) – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has appointed WCS’s Janet Gibson as a member to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contribution to environmental protection. Each year Queen Elizabeth II honors citizens of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for various achievements and service. Gibson, who retired from WCS at the end of 2015, has been a st...

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(February 02, 2015) WCS and other scientist groups recommend fishers increase the size limit for caught lobsters to further strengthen protection Study provides proof that no-take zones help protect marine resources NEW YORK (February 2, 2015)—A recent study conducted in the waters of Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve in Belize by the Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners has revealed good news for spiny lobsters: the abundance of these commercially valuable crustaceans should support local f...

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(December 04, 2014) Season-long social media contest commemorated 120th anniversary of WCS founding Prizes include a trip to Belize to see WCS conservation work first-hand New York – Dec. 4, 2015 – This summer, WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) celebrated the 120th anniversary of its founding with a city-wide social media photo safari, and has announced the winners of a suite of prizes that includes a trip to Belize to witness WCS field conservationists in action. Registe...

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(September 19, 2014) NEW YORK (September 19, 2014) – Kim Simplis Barrow, wife of Belize’s Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the Special Envoy for Women and Children, recently visited the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Research Station on Middle Caye, Glover’s Reef Atoll on what could only be described as a picture perfect day. During the visit she was given a glimpse into the world of marine conservation with presentations on the almost two decades of support that WCS has provided...

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(July 11, 2014) New report by Wildlife Conservation Society on the benefits of no-take zones for marine ecosystems and fisheries   New York (July 11, 2014)—A new report from the Wildlife Conservation Society shows that no-take zones in Belize can not only help economically valuable species such as lobster, conch, and fish recover from overfishing, but may also help re-colonize nearby reef areas. The report—titled “Review of the Benefits of No-Take Zones”—represents a ...

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(December 20, 2012) DECEMBER 20, 2012 - According to the ancient Mayan calendar, on 21 December, 2012, the 13th baktun – a calendrical measure equivalent to 144,000 days – will conclude as the next one commences. Many have interpreted this epochal transition from one era of human civilisation to another as a harbinger of apocalypse. Others believe that the turning of the Mayan calendar will mark a qualitative shift in the human relationship with the cosmos. More than a millennium ago, the ancient May...

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(March 26, 2012) MARCH 26, 2012 - Conservation biologist Rachel Graham champions an unlikely hero: sharks. As director of WCS’s Gulf and Caribbean Sharks and Rays Program, she works to create a constituency for the protection of these magnificent—and often misunderstood— ocean giants. In 2011, Dr. Graham won the 2011 Gold Award from the Whitley Fund for Nature for her work to implement a national action plan for sharks in Belize, and to get more local people actively involved in protecting thei...

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(December 22, 2011) DECEMBER 22, 2011 - Sensitive coral reef ecosystems require a delicate balance of marine life to thrive. From the barracudas at the top of the food chain to the algae at the bottom, the system works together to keep itself healthy. In an atoll reef lagoon in Glover’s Reef, Belize, WCS researchers have found that fishing closures produce encouraging increases in populations of predatory fish, like barracuda, groupers, and snappers. The numbers of herbivores like parrotfish and surge...

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(April 14, 2011) Conservation Hall spotlights marine life native to three regions of the world: The Indo-Pacific, freshwater lakes of Africa, and Brazil’s rainforest Glover’s Reef showcases fish and coral native to this magnificent reef in Belize WCS conservation efforts to protect endangered marine species will be featured Conservation Hall and Glover’s Reef is major part of A Sea Change at the New York Aquarium, a 10-year transformation initiative announced in 2009    Campai...

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