Glover's Reef

The oval-shaped atoll is long and wide. The interior lagoon is dotted with around 850 reef patches and pinnacles rising to the surface. Major cays include Amounme Point Cay, Northeast Cay, Long Cay, Middle Cay and Southwest Cay. ==Ecology==

Glover's harbours one of the greatest diversity of reef types in the western Caribbean. ==Conservation==

The Glover's Reef Marine Reserve was established as a national protected area in 1993 under the Fisheries Act, and is managed under the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), it is considered one of the highest priority areas in the Mesoamerican reef system, providing nursery and feeding areas and a unique habitat for lobster, conch and finfish. In 1996, it was designated by UNESCO as one of seven protected areas that together form the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (a World Heritage-listed site). • Conservation Zone - , 20.2%; • Wilderness Zone - , 0.8%, closed to visitors; • Seasonal Closure Zone - , 4.4%, closed to all fishing from start December to end February. Where this zone overlaps with the grouper spawning aggregation site (below), it is closed to fishing all year round. A fifth zone has recently been created to offer greater protection to the northeast spawning aggregation site. It was opened in 1997 for the purpose of promoting and facilitating long-term conservation and management of the wider Belize Barrier Reef complex. Since its opening, the station has hosted more than 200 scientific and research expeditions. ==Important Bird Area==

A 1.2m ha site off the coast of Belize, comprising the nation’s offshore and barrier islands, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of several resident, passage or breeding bird species, including white-crowned pigeons, red-footed boobies, roseate terns, Yucatan vireos, black catbirds, and golden-winged and cerulean warblers. The IBA encompasses the South Water Caye, Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes, Sapodilla Cayes and Glover's Reef marine reserves, Half Moon Caye, Laughing Bird Caye and Man-O-War Caye islands, as well as several spawning aggregations. ==References==