RIO BRAVO CONSERVATION AREA

It is the country's largest nature reserve, covering almost 1,000 km², which represents almost 4% of Belize's total territory. The site is home to no fewer than 70 species of mammal, 390 species of bird, 230 species of tree and 30 species of freshwater fish. Created in 1998 by the Program for Belize, the site is part of a research and environmental protection project (agriculture, freshwater, migratory birds, rational exploitation of plant species, atmospheric carbon capture, etc.) aimed at preserving the animal and plant species that evolve in the park; it is partly financed by the eco-tourism practices offered to visitors to the park. The site also includes some 60 structures, including the La Milpa archaeological site, the third largest in the country and excavated in partnership with American universities. The trees of the Rio Bravo reserve capture large quantities of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires and deforestation, demonstrating the role of forests in the solution to climate change. In 2012, the Rio Bravo reserve certified 1.6 million tonnes of carbon offsets by preventing deforestation and implementing sustainable forest management strategies. This successfully removed more than $1.5 million in carbon offsets, ensuring the reserve's financial viability.