Shipstern Conservation & Management Area
Shipstern Conservation and Management Area (Shipstern C&MA) is a protected area located in the Corozal District of northeastern Belize.
| Shipstern Conservation & Management Area | |
|---|---|
Map of Belize | |
| Location | Corozal District, Belize |
| Nearest city | Sarteneja |
| Coordinates | 18°19′04″N 88°11′31″W |
| Area | 21,500 acres (87 km2) |
| Established | 1990 |
| Governing body | Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative |
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Shipstern C&MA protects approximately 21.500 acres (c. 8.700 hectares or 87 km2) of a variety of habitats centered on Shipstern Lagoon, one of the larger inland lagoon systems in Belize. The reserve includes non-contiguous parcels, a larger one covering part of the lagoon itself, and a smaller one protected a small forest lake by the name of Xo-Pol. Habitats include various types of seasonal forests, some of which are unique for Belize. Next to the medium-sized semi-deciduous Yucatan forest, a much rarer type of dry coastal tropical forest also occurs, in Belize found only in Shipstern and in Bacalar Chico National Park, on Ambergris Caye. The government of Belize considers Shipstern Conservation & Management Area to be one of the ten most important nature reserves in Belize.
Shipstern C&MA is owned and managed by the Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative (CSFI) a Belizean registered NGO financed in larger part by a consortium of European zoos, through a charity, the International Tropical Conservation Fund (ITCFund).