Belize
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The World Mangrove Atlas: Hope Amid Despair
August 20, 2010 by Danielle Nierenberg
By Daniel Kandy
The World Mangrove Atlas revealed some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the loss of mangroves has slowed to 0.7 percent annually. The bad news is that that rate is still three to four times higher than the loss rate of land-based forest and one fifth of all of the world’s mangroves are thought to have been lost in the past three decades. Of the world’s original mangrove forest area, estimated at 80 million acres, less than 37 million acres of mangroves now remain.
Mangrove forests are home to an abundant variety of tropical fish, birds, reptiles, crustaceans and insects, as well as thousands of species of flora, and human populations who depend on the mangroves for their livelihoods. (Photo: Flickr Commons)
Mangrove forests exist in tropical and sub-tropical regions, with Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Nigeria, and Mexico having the largest total area of mangroves. 2010 is the United Nation’s International Year of Biodiversity and there have been some positive developments in mangrove conservation. There are 1,200 protected areas in places like the…
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Belize: History, Culture & Economy
July 31, 2010 by A'Keiba Burrell
Belize (pronounced /bɛˈliːz/) (formerly British Honduras), is a country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Although Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. Belize is bordered by Mexico to its north, by Guatemala to its south and west, and by the Caribbean Sea to the east.
With 8,867 square miles (22,960 km²) of land and 320,000 people (2008 est.), the population density of Belize is the lowest in the Central American region, and it also has one of the lowest population densities in the world. However, the country’s population growth rate, 2.21% (2008 est.), is the highest in the region and one of the highest in the western hemisphere. Belize’s abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems contributes to Mesoamerica’s designation as a biodiversity “hotspot.”
Belize is culturally unique among Central American nations. It is the only nation in Central America with a British colonial heritage, although as a part of the Western Caribbean Zone, it shares this heritage with the Caribbean portions of other Central American countries. Despite this, Belize considers itself to be a Central American nation affiliated with both the Caribbean and Latin America.
The area was inhabited by…
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Social Media on a Sunday Afternoon: Only in the Bay Area
June 14, 2010 by Renee Blodgett
He sees the real value which he feels is still untapped, is giving people a more targeted and relevant way to meet up with people you don’t know, whether its for dating or new friendships. Foursquare doesn’t solve that or at least I wouldn’t want it to in its current form. That said, there are dozens of people who try to connect with me on Foursquare daily who don’t know me, have never met me nor are likely to. It feels like stalking behavior and frankly, if they don’t know me, I keep thinking – it’s not Facebook, it’s not Twitter,
Buenas Dias Natural Wonder
September 2, 2006 by Renee Blodgett
Of all the global wonders and regions of pleasure, central and southern America is a recent discovery – the last of the continents I’ve had the fortune to explore. Asia and the Middle East were accidents, Africa and Europe were musts, and Australasia was a by-product of central Asia, as was India.
Costa Rica, which I wrote about at great length here, was so intoxicating – largely due to the wildlife, rainforests and kindness of its people, that I quickly developed a hunger for more. Africa was a bit that way too.
Have you ever felt a need to go somewhere for no particular reason, or at least not one you can readily identify? In recent years, Guatemala, Peru and Belize have been vivid daytime images and brightly illuminated movie scenes in my not quite dawn dreams.
When I would imagine a future memory, it went something like this…..
—–the early morning dew was moist, but slowly on its way out as I made my way through the rainforest, taking in every sound of early morning wildlife, particularly the birds, which were a reminder I was about to experience a natural presence like no other.
The mist remained…
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Chrichton on Travels
September 10, 2004 by Renee Blodgett
Chrichton nails it. I have often referred to this quote over the years when I’ve “lived on the road” for months at a time or during a transition like this one. May the current direct experience last for months and months. I had forgotten just how drab the “comfort zone” really is.
“Often I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am. There is no mystery about why this should be so. Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator full of your food, your closet full of your clothes- with all this taken away you are forced into the direct experience. Such direct experience inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience. That is not always comfortable but it is always invigorating.” Michael Crichton – Travels
