Shipstern Nature Reserve Observation Tower Inaugurated

The Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Hon. Manuel Heredia, Jr. and the former Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Florencio Marin, Sr., inaugurated the new observation tower of the Shipstern Nature Reserve on August 12th, 2009. A host of distinguished guests including officials and community members from the villages of Sarteneja and Chunox and local institutions and NGO's, attended the inauguration ceremony.

The ceremony began with the singing of the National Anthem of Belize led by the Sarteneja Police Cadets. Welcome remarks were provided by Chairman of the Shipstern Nature Reserve, Mr. Phillip Zuniga, and the Keynote Address was given by the Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Hon. Manuel Heredia, Jr. who pointed out the importance of Shipstern Nature Reserve in the development of tourism. The Reserve covers an area of more than 27,000 acres and protects a wide array of habitats, ranging from saline wetlands and lagoons to Yucatan tropical moist and dry forests. It is home to all five cat species of Belize, the endangered Baird's Tapir and a myriad of other plant and animal species, some of them very rare. Almost 300 species of birds have been recorded at Shipstern.

The Shipstern Nature Reserve observation tower is a 65-foot structure which was designed by a Swiss engineer and constructed with 100% recycled materials. The Reserve is a well-recognized private reserve and is operated by Belizeans and funded by many European institutions which include nine agencies and five thousand friends of the Reserve in Europe.