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43-756: 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

86-863: A gestation period of about 158 days, two young are usually born. They are capable of moving with the rest of the herd just hours after birth . The white-lipped peccary is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Its population is currently decreasing, despite protective measures. It is also listed on Appendix II on CITES and has been listed there since 1987. The white-lipped peccary faces numerous threats. The large amount of space they require makes them very threatened by deforestation . They are highly dependent on protected areas to keep their habitat safe from human activity. When their habitat becomes fragmented, they are at more risk of being hunted by humans, as their tendency to move in large herds makes them easy to spot. Hunters can kill many at once. Even light hunting can be

129-516: A scent gland , which is found at the posterior middorsal region. The white-lipped peccary is native to Argentina , Belize , Bolivia , Brazil , Colombia , Costa Rica , Ecuador , French Guiana , Guatemala , Guyana , Honduras , Mexico , Nicaragua , Panama , Paraguay , Peru , Suriname , and Venezuela . It is regionally extinct in El Salvador . White-lipped peccaries thrive in dense, humid, tropical forests. They can also be found in

172-533: 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

215-424: 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

258-498: A threat in areas with limited resources and naturally lower population densities. In several areas of Brazil, seemingly healthy populations have become locally extinct. Their population has declined about 30% in the last 18 years, with current estimates suggesting a similar trend going into the future. Unexplained disappearances have been documented in multiple areas and are suspected to be caused by disease . The white-lipped peccary already occurs in multiple protected areas, including

301-614: A wide range of other habitats, such as dry forests , grasslands , mangroves , and dry xerophytic areas, as well as the Cerrado ecoregion of Brazil. They range from sea level to an altitude of 1,900 m (6,200 ft). Their range overlaps with that of the collared peccary. A 2018 study found that they had disappeared from 87% of their historical range in Mesoamerica (which the study defined as everywhere between southern Mexico and Panama), and were in "critical condition" in

344-552: Is twinned with: 17°55′17″N 87°57′40″W  /  17.92139°N 87.96111°W  / 17.92139; -87.96111 White-lipped Peccary The white-lipped peccary ( Tayassu pecari ) is a species of peccary found in Central and South America and the only member of the genus Tayassu . Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar in appearance to pigs , but covered in dark hair (except on certain regions, such as

387-829: 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

430-480: Is a piglike ungulate , covered in dark hair, which is cream on certain parts of the underside, such as the throat and pelvic regions. Adult white-lipped peccaries can reach a length of 90–135 cm (35–53 in). Their height is about 90 cm (35 in), measured from the shoulder . They usually weigh 27–40 kg (60–88 lb), but can grow even larger. There is no obvious sexual dimorphism , but males have longer canine teeth than females. They possess

473-497: 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

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516-680: Is made up of fruit, although it is supplemented with additional foods, such as other parts of plants (which can include nuts ), fungi , invertebrates (including snails ), and even fish on occasion. They consume over 140 different species of plants from over 30 families across their range. While not as frequently, they are also known to feed on earthworms , eggs , small vertebrates , and carrion . White-lipped peccaries are an important prey for large felines. When in large groups they can—and have been known to—drive away jaguars with their loud vocalizations . T. pecari breeds year-round. The estrus cycle generally lasts about 18—21 days. After

559-399: 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

602-497: Is significant, with both found in similar habitats across the Neotropics . A study published in 1982 found that the former's bite force is at least 1.3 times as great as that of the collared peccary. This may help to explain how the two manage to coexist over such a large area, as the study also found that they consumed different kinds of seeds and nuts when foraging in the same area. The measured resistance of these seeds and nuts

645-555: 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

688-534: Is very active in the trading of peccary hides, which are tanned in Peru and sold to European businesses to make shoes and gloves , the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has worked in Peru since 1980 to keep hunting sustainable and monitor populations. T. pecari is frequently hunted by both the indigenous and non-indigenous residents of its habitat. Their meat, which is described by

731-600: 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

774-627: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as " white " and "abundant" is sold and consumed in rural communities, where peccaries (both white-lipped and collared) are important game animals . While easy to locate, due to their loud nature and tendency to travel in herds, white-lipped peccaries can be dangerous to hunt—they are known to kill dogs —and are typically hunted in groups. They generally stand their ground when attacked; as such, multiple individuals can be killed before

817-551: The World Land Trust supported Güisayote Biological Reserve in Honduras and Manú National Park of Peru. However, that alone may not be enough to keep it alive in all the habitat types it is naturally found in. IUCN has suggested new limitations by CITES to restrict the trade of hides and pelts . Research on their population has increased in recent years, although there are still areas in need of study. Although Peru

860-532: 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

903-422: 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

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946-534: 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

989-532: 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

1032-618: 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

1075-465: The declining population of T. pecari . The average group size in a fragmented area of the Atlantic Forest was found to be around 42, although herds frequently come into contact with one another and interbreed. Juvenile peccaries have been found to make up no more than 20% of herds in studies. As mentioned previously, the range of T. pecari overlaps with that of D. tajacu . This overlap

1118-570: 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

1161-464: 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"

1204-678: 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

1247-678: 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

1290-473: 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

1333-598: 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

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1376-550: The other species that coexisted with it during this period, the central-northern Buenos Aires Province was likely arid or semi-arid in the Late Pleistocene. The white-lipped peccary is capable of producing offspring with the collared peccary ( Dicotyles tajacu ), another member of the peccary family . This has been recorded at the London Zoo and Manaus Zoo , but never in the wild. The white-lipped peccary

1419-762: 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

1462-648: 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

1505-705: The seven Mesoamerican countries they still inhabited. Studies by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found similar information, with a reported decline of 89% in Costa Rica and 84% in Mexico and Guatemala. White-lipped peccaries generally move from place to place in large herds. Unlike D. tajacu , which travels single-file, T. pecari moves in broad groups. Group sizes can range from under ten (while uncommon, groups as small as five have been recorded ) to as many as 300. Especially large groups are rarer now than they were historically, due to

1548-486: The throat, where it is cream ). The range of T. pecari , which extends from Mexico to Argentina , has become fragmented, and the species's population is declining overall (especially in Mexico and Central America). They can be found in a variety of habitats. Social animals, white-lipped peccaries typically forage in large groups, which can have as many as 300 peccaries. They are an important part of their ecosystem and multiple efforts are being made to preserve them in

1591-421: The wild. Not all disappearances are explained, but human activities play a role, with two major threats being deforestation and hunting ; the latter is very common in rural areas, although it can be dangerous, as white-lipped peccaries can be aggressive. They are hunted for both their hide and meat . The white-lipped peccary was first described by Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1795 as Sus pecari . It

1634-480: 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

1677-592: Was found to be consistent with the bite forces of the two peccary species. They can produce screaming noises and clack their teeth when they travel in herds, which allows them to be heard from hundreds of meters away facilitating “group coherence” and intimidating potential predators. In common with other peccaries, GBIF writes that "their vocal repertoire includes low-frequency barking, growling, moaning, high-pitched squealing, and tooth clacking." White-lipped peccaries forage for food, frequently doing so in coastal areas or near other bodies of water. Most of their diet

1720-476: 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

1763-613: Was moved into the monotypic genus Tayassu by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim in 1814. There are five recognized subspecies: The fossil record of T. pecari is limited. It has existed since at least the Pliocene . Fossils from the Late Pleistocene suggest a different distribution during this time, being mostly found in more southern areas (such as the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina). Based on

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1806-481: 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

1849-518: 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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