Belize : Glover's Reef Marine Research Station

In 1997, WCS opened Glover’s Reef Marine Research Station (GRMRS) on Middle Cay, one of six sand cays within the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve.  Glover’s Reef atoll, one of only four atolls in the Atlantic, is located approximately 45 km (28 miles) off the coast of Belize, and makes up part of the southern portion of the Belize barrier reef section of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere.  Glover’s Reef Marine Research Station facilitates both management and research opportunities focused on conserving marine wildlife in one of the Caribbean’s most complex and diverse coral reef systems.

The Human Aspect
The extraordinary biodiversity, and an abundance of economically important species found at Glover’s Reef make it an important area both for local fishers and for conservation and management.  Key economically important species found within the atoll include the spiny lobster, queen conch, Nassau grouper, black grouper, hogfish, mutton snapper, and queen triggerfish.  GRMRS plays an essential role in the management and conservation of the area by providing a home for the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve Headquarters, as well as a meeting place to discuss management of the reserve.  The Station reaches out to the scientific community by providing a platform for researchers and students studying the diverse coral reef habitat.

Threats
Glover’s Reef Atoll, like other coral reef ecosystems around the world, faces increasing pressure from humans, both locally and regionally.  Overfishing, pollution from shipping, tourism, and deforestation are all significant threats to this ecologically fragile reef system.  In addition, it has also been affected by the global problem of coral bleaching, a process in which stressed coral polyps discharge their symbiotic algae.

WCS Activities
GRMRS is a focal effort in WCS’ long-term goal of promoting and assisting conservation in Belize.  Since opening in 1997, the Station has hosted more than 100 scientific expeditions and has served as a platform for 400 researchers and students (Find out what's new at GRMRS).  The shared mission of WCS and GRMRS is to promote the long-term conservation and management of the Belize Barrier Reef through in-situ research, cooperative management, training, and education.  The Station promotes the combination of both research and policy by serving as a scientific research station, a marine park headquarters for the Government of Belize and a resource for students and the local public gain education and valuable training about the reef system and conservation.  The research carried out at Glover’s is primarily management-related and focused on the following objectives:

• Measuring environmental change and serving as a source of long-term scientific information about ecological and biological systems at Glover’s;
• Maintaining biodiversity and the functioning of intact ecological linkages;
• Predicting and measuring the consequences of management policies and actions;
• Restoring and rehabilitating damaged ecosystems; and
• Providing a stable and continuous scientific, conservation-focused and educational presence for partnership and consultation.

The strategic location of the Station within the marine reserve, which features low levels of human intervention and coral communities with relatively intact trophic structuring, also provides researchers with a prime location to conduct their investigations.  Research projects have included extensive work on the endangered Nassau Grouper, the effectiveness of the marine reserve, and development of monitoring tools.  Although the research is focused specifically on Glover’s Reef, much of the data and results being generated will be extended and applied to global management plans and decisions, in addition to its use in local planning.

Important Next Steps

• Support research being done as well as recruit new researchers to GRMRS. 
• Incorporate research results into the design of marine reserves. 
• Get local people involved through tours, workshops, and training courses, in an effort to spread conservation concerns and efforts
• Continue to improve the facilities at GRMRS to help facilitate cutting-edge research on the atoll