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Turneffe Atoll Trust

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Turneffe Atoll Trust drives conservation efforts related to Turneffe Atoll and Belize's coastal marine environment.

21/09/2026

Look at me. I Am Belize @ 45.

Today, as our nation turns 45, one of Belize's proudest voices doesn't speak, it shimmers, it sustains livelihoods, iit stands guard.

Look at me, Belize. I am Turneffe Atoll.

I am the largest, most ecologically diverse and best-developed atoll in the entire Western Hemisphere, a global ecological hotspot that belongs to every single one of us.

Home to gentle manatees, ancient crocodiles, and hawksbill turtles, my back reef flats are among the finest in the world. I am a cornerstone of Belize's marine ecosystem.

This Independence Day, let's help Turneffe Atoll Trust keep Turneffe thriving.

https://www.turneffeatoll.org/donate

18/09/2026

Turneffe’s coral reefs face real pressures, yet they give back every single day:

-Breaking the waves that would batter Belize City;
-Powering our tourism and fisheries industries, feeding families and providing livelihoods;
-and sheltering fish spawning sites; the next generation of our fish stocks.

Since 2002, Turneffe Atoll Trust has guarded this living treasure and protected these reefs.. Learn more at www.turneffeatoll.org

16/09/2026

Did you know that Belize offers one of the World’s most iconic fishing prizes - right here in our waters?

It’s called the Flats Fishing Grand Slam - landing a bonefish, a permit, and a tarpon all in a single day. Anglers from across the globe travel to Turneffe Atoll for this opportunity.

That’s right: Turneffe is one of the World’s premier saltwater fly fishing destinations.

This Independence month, we take pride in a world-class treasure that puts Belize on the global map and keeps our economy thriving.

15/09/2026

Ask any fisher, guide, or dive operator at Turneffe, and they'll tell you the same thing: their livelihood is only as healthy as the waters they work.

The Turneffe Conservation Land Trust Agreement secures the ecosystems that people depend on every day:

*Nursery and feeding grounds for lobster, conch, and reef fish - the backbone of coastal fishing;
*A world-class sport fishery for bonefish, permit, and tarpon that draws anglers globally;
*A thriving foundation for guides, tourism operators, and the communities they support.

This is conservation that works for people, not around them. Protecting the habitat means protecting the incomes, traditions, and futures built on it.

When conservation strengthens the people who depend on it, how much further can it take a nation?

10/09/2026

In 1798, Belizeans stood together to defend these shores.

Today, that same spirit of protection endures.

On St. George’s Caye Day, Turneffe Atoll Trust remembers a defining truth: what belongs to Belize is worth defending - its sovereignty, its waters, and its land.

This September, that legacy takes a new form. After an eight-year negotiation between Turneffe Atoll Trust and the Government of Belize, 17,000 acres of Turneffe Atoll were secured in an irrevocable public conservation trust, held permanently for the people of Belize.

As Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño said:
“𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠. 𝑀𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑖ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑒 𝐴𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑙.”

The battle of 1798 was fought with courage. The work of protecting Turneffe is carried forward by Turneffe Atoll Trust with patience, science, and principled leadership, the same commitment that has always defined how Belizeans safeguard what is theirs.

09/09/2026

𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐥!

As part of the Turneffe Conservation Land Trust Agreement, Turneffe Atoll Trust and Turneffe Flats have committed BZ$2.2 million to establish a world-class marine research institute, built through collaboration between the University of Belize and a leading global marine institute.

And the ambition doesn’t stop there. TAT has pledged to help raise an additional 𝐁𝐙$𝟓 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 to bring this vision to life.
Here’s what this investment means for Belize:

- Hands-on training for the next generation of Belizean marine scientists;
- Deeper understanding of Belize’s marine environment and the challenges it faces;
- Positioning the University of Belize as an international leader in marine science.

This is bold, forward-looking leadership. By putting science at the heart of conservation, Turneffe Atoll Trust is ensuring that the people who protect our atoll tomorrow are being trained today.

There’s no better milestone to celebrate this Independence Month, an investment in knowledge, in country, and in the future of Belize’s marine research.

Join us in supporting Turneffe Atoll Trust this September and help us reach our goal. https://www.turneffeatoll.org/donate

Photo Credit: Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association

07/09/2026

Why does this September feel a little different at Turneffe?

Because 17,000 acres have been protected forever. Not for a season. Not for a decade. In perpetuity; for the benefit of the Government and people of Belize.

That kind of certainty doesn't happen on its own. It took eight years of steady, science-driven work by Turneffe Atoll Trust to bring this agreement across the line on August 19. Quiet leadership, real results.

So, during a month when we celebrate everything that makes us Belizean, here's something worth celebrating together.

06/09/2026

Turneffe’s 36,000 hectares of seagrass beds are, without question, one of the most critical ecosystems in the entire Caribbean, and we don’t talk about them nearly enough.

These underwater meadows are not just pretty backdrops for divers. They are living, breathing nurseries where juvenile fish, conch, and lobster find shelter and safety as they grow. Bonefish forage seagrasses in search of its abundant life. This is nature’s infrastructure at its finest and it deserves our full attention and protection.

Here’s the hard truth: destroy health seagrass meadows and the entire marine ecosystem collapses. Fisheries decline, biodiversity suffers, and communities that depend on these resources for their livelihoods pay the price. We simply cannot afford to be complacent about the health of Turneffe’s seagrass beds.
The good news? You can make a difference.

Whether you’re a diver, an angler, a traveller, or simply someone who cares about Turneffe’s future, supporting Turneffe Atoll Trust means standing up for one of the Caribbean’s most vital marine ecosystems. Join us in protecting these irreplaceable underwater meadows because the health of Turneffe’s seagrass beds is not just a conservation issue, it’s everyone’s responsibility. https://www.turneffeatoll.org/donate

01/09/2026

Have you ever paddled through a maze of tangled roots and wondered what's hiding beneath?

Welcome to Turneffe's mangroves! Roughly 11,000 hectares of green, living mangrove forest ringing the atoll. They might not have the flash of a coral wall, but make no mistake: they are the backbone of the ecosystem.

Here's what these humble trees do every single day:
-Their tangled roots shelter juvenile fish, lobster, and conch; the nursery where tomorrow's marine life
-They trap sediment protecting coral reefs
-They protect the mainland from serious storm damage
-They are a blue carbon powerhouses locking away tons of carbon in their roots and soils at rates far exceeding tropical rainforests,
-They are essential to fighting climate change

Learn more: www.turneffeatoll.org

25/08/2026

𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲!

On August 19, 2026, the Government of Belize and the Turneffe Atoll Trust signed the Turneffe Conservation Land Trust Deed of Mutual Release, Compromise, and Settlement, a transformative agreement that permanently secures Turneffe Atoll as a protected national asset for the Belizean people.

What this agreement delivers:
* Approximately 17,000 acres designated as national lands, held in an irrevocable conservation trust under public ownership
* The Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA) designated under the Agreement to manage the land trust property
* Strengthened protection for critical flats-fishing habitats ; supporting bonefish, permit, and tarpon, and the guides, operators, and communities that depend on them
* BZ$2.2 million secured for a University of Belize marine research facility, with up to BZ$5 million in additional research funding committed

As Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño stated: “These lands remain Belizean lands. They remain under public ownership. And they are being secured permanently for present and future generations of Belizeans.”

For the Turneffe Atoll Trust, this agreement affirms what we have long worked toward, a future where conservation, science, sustainable livelihoods, and responsible development advance together, not in competition.

We are grateful to all government ministries, technical partners, and institutions whose commitment made this possible.

Address

Turneffe Atoll
Belize City

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00

Website

http://www.turneffeatoll.org/

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