page_title: List of protected areas of Belize
section_title: Nature reserves
hierarchical_section_title: List of protected areas of Belize / Nature reserves
caption_attribution_description: English: Bladen Nature Reserve — the Central River at sunrise, Belize.
context_page_description: This is a list of protected areas in Belize.
context_section_description: The country's three nature reserves enjoy the highest level of protection within the National Protected Areas System Plan. The designation was created for the strict protection of biological communities or ecosystems, and the maintenance of natural processes in an undisturbed state. They are typically pristine, wilderness ecosystems.
  Nature reserves are legislated under the National Parks System Act of 1981. It is the strictest designation of all categories within the country's national protected areas system, with no extractive use or tourism access permitted. Permits are required to enter the area and are restricted to researchers only. The nature reserves are under the authority of the Forest Department.
  The oldest of these, Bladen Nature Reserve, forms the centrepiece of the Maya Mountains biological corridor, and is considered one of the most biodiversity-rich, and topographically unique areas within the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.
caption: Wilderness scene in the Bladen Nature Reserve.
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