Protect and Restore Aquatic Ecosystems in Belize

Protect and Restore Aquatic Ecosystems in Belize

August 1, 2025 – December 15, 2025

From 1 August to 15 December, the Crocodile Research Coalition conducted a series of field surveys to assess crocodilian populations across Belize. During this period, three nocturnal eyeshine surveys (NES) were completed, resulting in the observation of 10 crocodiles. In addition, ten capture surveys were conducted, during which a total of 33 individuals were captured for long-term monitoring and ecotoxicological analyses. These efforts included both Crocodylus moreletii (Morelet’s crocodile) and Crocodylus acutus (American crocodile) across multiple regions of the country.

Complementary to population surveys, four habitat assessments were carried out within the Placencia Lagoon system. Survey efforts were prioritized in this area due to increasing coastal development and associated anthropogenic pressures, which may influence crocodile habitat quality, prey availability, and human–crocodile interactions. These habitat surveys aim to establish baseline environmental conditions and inform future conservation and management strategies.

Thank you to all who have donated towards our project through GlobalGiving. This has been a long and VERY rainy season, therefore the weather prevents us from doing much research. We are excited to say that we have sent samples off to the United States to our colleagues so they can begin the process of analyzing heavy metals in these tissue samples.

We are very grateful to all of those that have donated and are willing to help us maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems in Belize. Our work is currently considered a model project by various wildlife researchers and ecotoxicologists given our results from previous years. Thank you all so

Dr. Marisa Tellez and the CRC team