Biodiversity
Environment
Under the UNESCO classification system, six natural terrestrial ecosystems have been identified to date within Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve.
The predominant vegetation is broadly defined as tropical evergreen seasonal broad-leaved lowland forest, which is found on limestone soils. Within this broad classification, three ecosystems have been identified:
- Tropical evergreen seasonal broadleaf lowland forest over steep karstic hills, found on steeper slopes.
- Tropical evergreen seasonal broadleaf lowland forest over rolling karstic hills, found in the valleys between these hills.
- Tropical evergreen seasonal broadleaf lowland forest on calcareous soils, found in flatter areas.
A fourth ecosystem overlying the more nutrient-poor, metasedimentary rocks in the south of the protected area is characterized by well drained tropical evergreen seasonal broad-leaved lowland forest.
In addition to these, deciduous broad-leaved lowland disturbed shrubland is found in small patches along the edges of the protected area where fires have escaped adjacent farmlands and degraded the forest edge.
An aquatic ecosystem associated with Barton Creek and Roaring Creek—which delineate part of the protected area boundaries—has also been identified.
Flora
Past surveys suggest that Tapir Mountain is relatively species-rich, with over 205 species of plants—a mere fraction of the projected total. At least four species are considered globally threatened, including three commercial species: Big-leaf Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), Xate (Chamaedorea oblongata) and Cedar (Vitex gaumeri).
Fauna
Management Plan
iNaturalist Observations
Belize Karst Habitat Conservation makes use of iNaturalist’s social network to record our observations of plants and animals.
eBird Observations
We use eBird data document bird distribution, abundance, habitat use, and trends through checklist data collected by our research team.
