The Setting

Located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains about eighteen kilometers (11miles) southeast of Belize's capital, Belmopan, Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve (TMNR) has an area of 6,750 acres. Its hilly karst topography is covered with largely intact subtropica,l moist forest. The reserve also contains cave systems, sinkholes and Maya Ruins.

Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve serves both to conserve biodiversity and to provide a wide variety of research and educational opportunities. The first biological research to collect baseline data on flora and fauna was conducted by Bruce and Carolyn Miller, Jan Meerman, and Tineke Boomsma.

This Nature Reserve is NOT Open to the Public

History

Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, formally known as Society Hall Nature Reserve, was donated to the Government of Belize in 1975 and then leased back to its former owners, Svea and Thomas Dietrich, who managed TMNR on behalf of the government of Belize . Svea Ditrich-Ward devoted much of her own time and money in virtually a single-handed effort to keep TMNR viable. Boundary lines were demarcated, warning signs posted, and incursions kept to a minimum. Some interest on the part of international donors was generated. Largely due to the lobbing efforts of Svea Dietrich Ward, TMNR was officially declared a Nature Reserve under the National Park System Act (NPSA) in 1986.

In August of 1990, at the request of Svea Dietrich-Ward, GOB leased TMNR to the Belize Audubon Society, which remains the present manager. This lease is for 99 years (back dated to 1975)

The Goals of the Reserve are:

• To retain in perpetuity a portion of the northern Maya Mountain foot-hills ecosystem.
• To provide opportunities for scientific studies.
• To protect the area's biodiversity through community development programs.

Geology and Soil

The northern half of Belize, which includes TMNR, rests on the Yucatan platform- a tectonically stable limestone shelf composed of chalk, marl, and other sedimentary layers. The limestone of Belize range in age from 135 million to less than 2 million years old. TMNR has principally cetaceous and dolomitic limestone geology. In the upland sections of TMNR, soils are shallow and poor. There are some deposition of alluvial soil along Barton and Roaring Creeks.

Wildlife

TMNR undoubtedly sustains a diverse resident and transient wildlife population. During the 1994 baseline survey the mammals reported in TMNR included the Baird's Tapir and White-lipped Peccary, Anteater, Paca (Gibnut), Coati, Gray Fox, Gray Squirrel, Four-eyed Opossum, White-tail and Brocket Deer, Puma, Kinkajou, Bats and Armadillo. The northeast portion of TMNR was found to have relatively high biological integrity and is an important habitat for many wildlife, especially migratory birds and Baird's Tapir. The survey identified 129 species of migratory and resident birds, including the Blue-crowned Motmot, a pair of Spectacled Owl and a Great Currasow. Reptiles includes the Iguana, Green Snake, Blacktail Indigo, a large increase in Fer-de-lance, Coral Snakes and Boa Constrictors.