Looks like if the right action is taken, reefs can actually be saved after all.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee recently decided to remove the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from its list of sites in danger.
According to a committee statement:
“The Committee considered that safeguarding measures taken by the country, notably the introduction of a moratorium on oil exploration in the entire maritime zone of Belize and the strengthening of forestry regulations allowing for better protection of mangroves, warranted the removal of the site from the World Heritage List in Danger.”
The site was inscribed on the List in 2009 due to the destruction of mangroves and marine ecosystems, offshore oil extraction, and the development of non-sustainable building projects, according to the committee.