View the next Belize postcard

By Amy Berridge
Conservation Writer
The Nature Conservancy

Day 1: Welcome to Belize

From Belize City to Placenia

A blast of heat, humidity, and tropical sun envelops me as I make my way out of the plane at Belize City airport. It’s a far cry from the East coast ice storm I left this morning.

I’m here as part of a conservation immersion trip to learn how The Nature Conservancy works on the ground to protect the Maya jungles and the rich waters of the Meso-American reef.

We meet our guide, Ryan Finchum from Emerald Planet, then set off in the gathering dusk to begin the last leg of the journey, a plane ride down the Belize coast to the tiny town of Placencia.

I fight off exhaustion and take in the sights below — the stark geometries of agricultural fields that slam up against the jungle, shrimp farms nestled along the coastline, their mouths spilling murky waters into the otherwise crystal sea, the lush Maya mountains to the west. We land at the dusty Placencia airstrip just as the light fades.

Belize abuts Guatemala to the west and south and Mexico to the north, and though it sits squarely in Central America, there is a distinctly Caribbean feel to the place. It’s a “flavor” inspired by meandering mangroves and reefs and shimmering waters that attract divers, bone fishermen, and planeloads of tourists.

The former British Honduras, Belize is politically stable, a contrast to some of its neighbors. About a quarter of a million people live in this Massachusetts-sized country, and the economy is fueled mostly by agriculture, but tourism and development are gaining with the usual consequences to the country’s wild places.

In Belize, land and water are deeply connected. To protect critical areas of the country, The Nature Conservancy is working with local public and private groups. Each of these places has its own challenges and its own treasures.

Over the next four days, I’ll get a chance to experience them firsthand, but tonight I fall asleep to the sound of the Caribbean sea that laps gently a few yards away.

Next: Swimming with Sharks!

For more information about Belize:

• The Nature Conservancy in Belize
  Belize encompasses lush tropical rain forests, coastal mangrove forests, offshore cays and the Meso-American Reef — the second largest barrier reef system in the world
• Ecotourism: Rio Bravo, Belize
  Established in 1988, The Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area is the largest private protected area in Belize, is abundant with wildlife, and accounts for 4 percent of the total national land area.
• How You Can Help: Donate Online
  Support conservation by helping to save the last great places in Belize.