Half Moon Caye, it’s a natural monument which makes it one of the most protected places in Belize.
And that’s why we were alarmed today when we got the news that Coconut Trees are being cut down on the Island. Who would do such a thing to a site that is truly one of the most wondrous in Belize. Daring despoilers, dastardly developers, devilish denuders? None of the above, it’s the park site’s manager the Belize Audubon Society.
But there’s a perfectly good explanation for it. The Audubon’s Dirk Francisco explained that the coconut trees are becoming a problem:....
Dirk Francisco, Belize Audubon Society
“Coconut is slowly displacing the native plant on Half Moon Caye, which is a littoral forest. And the dominant plant there is the orange flowered zericote – which is the plant also where the red footed boobie birds are actually nesting.
So it’s not a situation where you have BAS is just senselessly going around on Half Moon Caye just cutting down coconut trees it’s all being controlled and managed.”
“Definitely, definitely, we wouldn’t irresponsibly destroy any resource that may exist on any of the protected areas that we manage. Like I said the coconut they are again, growing uncontrollably.”
Apart form the famous Boobies, Over 120 other types of bird have been seen on the caye.
