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25-756: BCNPMR had its inception in the early 1990s when the Broadhead Group sought to construct a community for retirees in northern Ambergris Caye. An environmental impact assessment by the Belize Center for Environmental Studies found the Bacalar Chico region to have an unusually high biodiversity for a barrier island. In 1995, the Natural Resources Management Plan and the Protection Project first developed

50-533: A comprehensive management plan for the various vegetative assemblages within Belize. This plan specifically recommended the extreme northern portion of the island for inclusion based on the merits of its salt marsh ecosystem. At this time, fishermen in San Pedro and the mainland village of Sarteneja were growing concerned over the accelerating depletion of marine resources on Ambergris Caye. Community support for

75-424: A thousand women from eight different countries and had many children." It is said that he was stabbed to death by his hurt and jealous wife — leaving behind nothing but a will that is traditionally read on Ash Wednesday. A stuffed doll-like idol of Juan Carnaval is burnt every year as a symbol of cleansing the community's sins. This tradition started out with the use of powder and has now expanded into water paint and

100-829: Is a town on the southern part of the island of Ambergris Caye in the Belize District of the nation of Belize , in Central America . According to the 2015 mid-year estimates, the town has a population of about 16,444. It is the second-largest town in the Belize District and largest in the Belize Rural South constituency. The once sleepy fishing village was granted the status of a town in 1984. San Pedro's inhabitants are known as San Pedranos and most of them originally came from Mexico. Most speak both Spanish and English fluently. Due to

125-497: Is co-managed by an NGO. A Memorandum of Understanding gives co-management responsibilities to the Green Reef Environmental Institute. Green Reef is legally responsible for education efforts involving the park, and is in part responsible for research and surveys carried out within the park, for legal lobbying, and for the procurement of grants. An advisory committee consisting of representatives from

150-399: Is over 10 miles long and has greatly expanded resort and beach house development with better access than only watercraft. Today San Pedro is known for festivals, one of the most famous being El Gran Carnaval de San Pedro. El Gran Carnaval de San Pedro goes back to the 1870s, a tradition that is centered around “Juan Carnaval”. A legend states “Juan was an island god, that had sex with over

175-555: Is the Belize Barrier Reef . The San Pedro Barrier Reef is the 'second-largest' in the world, the first being the Great Barrier Reef . It is home to a diverse number of species. One of the primary industries in the town is tourism , most notably scuba diving . So many visitors are divers that there are two hyperbaric decompression chambers on the island. Ambergris Museum is in the town. The north road

200-600: The "Guerra de Castas" fled mainly south to the sanctuary of northern Belize where the British authorities gave them protection and encouraged them to settle. This was done in the hope that the refugees would eventually establish an agricultural settlement in Corozal and provide the lumber camps with an alternative source of foodstuffs now that the supplies through Bacalar in Mexico were no longer available. This migration

225-532: The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Industry. This section encompasses 12,640 acres (51.2 km) of land, of which 20% are privately owned lands. The strip of privately held land within BCNPMR is administered through the Ministry of Housing. One parcel given to the location of the current ranger headquarters. The remainder of the private holdings in the park consists of several parcels that comprise

250-422: The barrier reef meets the shore. The point is ‘rocky’ because a fossilized Pleistocene reef lies exposed at the surface. Within the park, all five species of cats native to Belize have been recorded, including the jaguar and puma . The forests are also home to a population of the endangered White-lipped Peccary . The mangroves and sea grass beds are home to manatees and crocodiles . Near Rocky Point lies

275-534: The breaking of eggs. There are rules to this festival: The first day is restricted to children until 7 pm, from Ruby's Hotel beachfront to the cemetery area and the Barrier Reef Drive. They are not allowed to paint individuals who are not participating nor public signs, buildings, and the Comparsa participants. Lastly, they are not allowed to use rotten eggs, spray paint, or oil paints. San Pedro Town

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300-532: The catastrophic global bleaching event of 1998. Persisting high sea surface temperatures that year, coupled with the devastation of Hurricane Mitch , resulted in a 50% loss of living corals in some locations along the barrier reef. As of January 1999, less than 1% of elkhorn, staghorn, and lettuce corals remained alive within the Basil Jones area (within Bacalar Chico), while 90% of boulder star coral

325-618: The creation of a reserve in Bacalar Chico was largely influenced by the Hol Chan Marine Reserve ’s success in generating revenue from entrance fees and sustaining tour guiding operations. In 1995, the San Pedro NGO Greenreef Environmental Institute developed a management plan for the area, and a year later Bacalar Chico was officially recognized as a national park and marine reserve. The park remained protected in name only for

350-570: The government, environmental organizations, local businesses, and fishing and guiding cooperatives periodically meets for review and consultation on decisions regarding BCNPMR. The park exhibits a high degree of diversity of habitats, encompassing swamps, grasslands, and various tropical forest assemblages including a medium semi-deciduous forest and a rare littoral, or beach, forest, which elsewhere in Belize has diminished due to coastal development. BCNPMR's marine habitats include extensive tracts of mangrove and sea grass beds, patch and barrier reef, and

375-464: The influence of English-based Kriol , most San Pedranos can speak English, as well as an intermediate form between English and Spanish that is known as "Kitchen Spanish" . It is said one is not a true San Pedrano if one doesn't know how to fish. In Madonna's early 2000's interview with the New York Times, she stated that the inspiration for the name of San Pedro in her song "La Isla Bonita"

400-678: The largest lagoon on the island of Ambergris caye, Laguna de Cantena. The reef lies within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System , the world's second longest barrier reef after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia . It stretches from the middle of the Yucatán Peninsula , down the entire coast of Belize, and terminates in Honduras . Rocky Point, within Bacalar Chico, is the only location in Belize where

425-678: The largest nesting beach for loggerhead and green sea turtles in Belize, and one of the largest for hawksbill turtles . The corals are still recovering from the collapse of the keystone grazer of algae, the long-spined sea urchin , which occurred in the 1980s and 90s and resulted in widespread coral die-offs across the Caribbean. The corals themselves are subject to black and white band diseases , damage from hurricanes, and bleaching and reduced calcification brought on by increased sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification associated with global warming. The reefs of Belize were subjected to

450-473: The majority of the park's windward shoreline. The marine reserve, which is 15,530 acres (62.8 km) of ocean and lagoon, is managed under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Despite the two types of protected area within Bacalar Chico, the Fisheries Ministry is the de facto manager of the whole park as it furnishes the park's staff and budget. As with most parks in Belize, Bacalar Chico

475-598: The next three years. The Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI) began paying salaries and operational expenses for marine protected areas designated under the World Heritage criteria in 1999. Funding from the CZMAI expired in 2004, when the financial and managerial responsibility for BCNPMR was transferred to the Government of Belize, which now furnishes US$ 100,000 a year for operational expenses and

500-762: The relatives of fishermen who had previously built fishing camps on the cayes and moved their families over to the safety of the island when the Santa Cruz Maya revolted. There were at first only four families, which were shortly joined by others from the nearby area of Bacalar. The settlement soon grew to a village of about 30 houses and over 50 inhabitants. The settling of Ambergris Caye was typical of this general pattern. The refugees who came to live here had been farmers and fishers in Yucatán who continued these activities in San Pedro. On November 27, 1984, San Pedro

525-648: The salaries of the park's four rangers. An additional 10% of the park's budget is provided through small grants from organizations including the Nature Conservancy and the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef Systems Project. BCNPMR comprises two distinct legal areas with their own set of laws. The national park is managed under the National Park Systems Act, with the ministerial responsibility held by

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550-480: Was afflicted with black-band disease immediately after the bleaching event. In fact, the threat posed by climate change was one of the primary reasons the UNESCO World Heritage committee awarded its designation to the seven marine protected areas in Belize. In addition, BCNPMR is among the five marine protected areas in Belize that can be classified as overfished. San Pedro Town San Pedro

575-476: Was likely her reading of an exit ramp on the way to the music studio. She wasn't a traveler then and had no knowledge of San Pedro. The town is said to be the inspiration for the song " La Isla Bonita " (which begins with the line "last night I dreamt of San Pedro"), written by Madonna , Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch . Manuel Heredia , minister of tourism in Belize commented Madonna's musical theme has helped to attract tourists to land. The refugees from

600-481: Was officially granted township status. The declaration ceremony was attended by Governor-General Elmira Minita Gordon , Area Representative Louis Sylvestre, and most of the residents of San Pedro. Gilberto Chico Gomez was the town's first mayor. Over the centuries, San Pedro has become one of the most popular tourist destinations with protected areas such as Hol Chan Marine Reserve , Shark Ray Alley, Bacalarchico, and many more. One of San Pedro's most prized possessions

625-518: Was the principal factor in the settling of northern Belize. The population grew from less than 200 in 1846 to 4,500 inhabitants by 1857, to 8,000 in 1858, in the Corozal District alone. According to the official census in 1861, the population of the northern section of the country was almost twice that of Belize City and the surrounding areas. The first permanent settlers of San Pedro arrived between 1848 and 1849. These probably consisted of

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