Dear ECOFEMers! I saw this message on another list and thought it might interest some here. Apologies for the length. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD OR CROSS POST THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE. Glover's Reef Marine Research Station Belize, Central America Wildlife Conservation Society P.O. Box 2310 Belize City, Belize Tel: 501-2-33855 FAX: 501-2--31963 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Glover's Reef atoll and marine reserve is located approximately 50 km off the coast of central Belize. It is considered to be one of the most pristine and important coral reef sites in the Caribbean. Due to the isolation of Glover's Reef atoll, there is little influence from coastal sedimentation or pollution. It is considered to be one of the most ideal sites in the world to conduct coral reef research (Dahl, MacIntyre & Antonius. 1974. A comparative survey of coral reef research sites. In: Marie-Helene Sachet and Arthur Dahl. Atoll Research Bulletin. 172: 37-75.). Consequently the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in cooperation with the Government of Belize has established a permanent research station at Middle Cay located on Glover's Reef. WCS along with the Government of Belize would like to invite scientists and graduate level students who are interested in working at Glover's Reef to contact James Powell at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Jacque Carter at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more information. The marine reserve at Glover's Reef atoll is a major component of a general comprehensive program for coastal zone management for Belize, Central America. In a broad sense the reserve was established to maintain ecological processes, preserve genetic diversity, achieve sustainable yields of its resources through wise management of species and their habitats, maintain natural areas for education and research and provide social, and economic benefits through ecologically sensitive recreation and tourism. Keenly aware of the need to protect this world class resource, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) purchased the island of Middle Cay, situated at the southern end of the atoll, for the purposes of providing a marine park headquarters for the Government of Belize and to establish a marine research field station. WCS has completed construction of this facility and now provides a base of operations for park rangers and scientists alike. WCS's over-arching mission is to provide for the long-term conservation and protection of Glover's Reef atoll. To accomplish this goal, WCS is working in close collaboration with the government of Belize to develop a coordinated research and management program for the atoll. WCS's primary responsibility in this partnership is scientific research. In the coming years, we hope that the research on Glover's Reef atoll will lead to a better understanding and management of this coral reef. The Comparative Investigations of Tropical Reef Ecosystems (CITRE) program identified Glover's Reef as the most preferred site in the Caribbean for "long-term, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional investigation of coral reef ecosystems" (Dahl, MacIntyre & Antonius. 1974. A comparative survey of coral reef research sites. In: Marie-Helene Sachet and Arthur Dahl. Atoll Research Bulletin. 172: 37-75.). The authors reported, "In contrast to the other reefs surveyed in the Caribbean area, Glover's Reef atoll appears to offer the greatest variety of reef types, and the optimum reef development in terms of population density and species diversity of reef corals and associated organisms". In addition to Glover's Reef, Belize's extensive barrier reef is 30 km away. The WCS research station on Glover's Reef atoll is located on Middle Cay. The present facility includes a ranger station and visitor's centre, a dry laboratory and work area, dining and cooking facilities (meals are provided and we have an excellent cook) and current housing for eight scientists and/or students. There are boats, air compressor and SCUBA tanks for researcher support. Aquarium facilities will soon be installed. The station is completely self-sufficient with full-time electricity (110 vac) provided by a complementary system of wind and solar power. Fresh water is available through a (soon to be installed) de-salination plant and rain-water catchment. Refrigeration is available. Toilet facilities are state-of-the-art pollution-free, containment composition type. One aim of the station is to utilize, whenever possible, non-polluting and energy efficient technology. WCS invites any scientists or students interested in using the Glover's Reef Research Station to please contact: Glover's Reef Marine Research Station, P.O. Box 2310, Belize City, Belize or Tel. 501-2-33855 or fax 501-2-31963. E-mail messages can be sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] . ************************************* James A. Powell Glover's Reef Marine Research Station P.O. Box 2310 Belize City, Belize e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ph: (501)2-33855 ************************************ Stefanie S. Rixecker Centre for Resource Management/ Department of Resource Management Lincoln University Canterbury Aotearoa New Zealand E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (64) (03) 325-2811 x8377 Fax: (64) (03) 325-3841 ************************************
