Funded by the Global Botanic Garden Fund via the Leon Levy Foundation

Project Completed: 2024

Institution: Belize Botanic Gardens

Salvaging Native Plants for Conservation

Introduction

In 2024, the Belize Botanic Gardens (BBG) initiated the “Salvaging Native Plants for Conservation” project in collaboration with Galen University, Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) and Bulridge Ltd. The project focused on the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, spanning 59,822 hectares along the Guatemala border.

Project Goals

The project aimed to conserve native plants, particularly from logged trees, through collecting, identifying and mounting specimens for inclusion at BBG. Additionally, this project would raise awareness about conservation efforts by education the public about the epiphytes in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve.

Key Achievements

A total of 90 epiphytes were successfully collected on August 15, 2024, adhering to the permit’s restrictions. The team included staff and biology students from Galen University, enhancing collaboration with the academic community. Most epiphytes found were damaged due to sun exposure. However, the successfully collected specimens were carefully mounted, accessioned, and displayed at BBG’s native house with informative signage highlighting the importance of plant conservation.

Identification of species was aided by Dr. Brendan Sawyers from the National Botanic Gardens, along with local resources, leading to the potential identification of Lankesteriana duplooyi. If this finding does turn out to be L. duplooyi it would the first record for the western part of Belize and only the second sighting in the country.

Over 5,000 local students and international visitors were educated about the importance of epiphytes through guided tours and informative displays. The project resulted in the addition of 23 new specimens to the BBG collection and improved representation of 67 previously underrepresented specimens.

The collaboration with Bulridge Ltd led to more cautious logging practices, minimizing ecosystem damage. The Belize Forest Department is now willing to grant permits without specimen limits, ensuring the project’s long-term sustainability.