Belize’s Coral Reefs on the Climate Frontlines: How EPI Engages Students in Real Solutions
- Luis Diego Molina
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
This post is the second installment in our blog series exploring how EPI addresses climate change across its different program sites. You can read the first post here.
A Natural Wonder Under Threat
Imagine standing in outer space and looking down at Belize’s vast barrier reef system, right in Central America. One feature stands out immediately: The Great Blue Hole, a breathtaking sinkhole where the ocean plunges 124 meters deep and stretches 300 meters across.
Now picture yourself snorkeling or diving through this spectacular wildlife sanctuary: corals, fish, sea turtles, manatees, sharks, mollusks, and crustaceans all weaving life into the reef.
This reef doesn’t just inspire awe. It shields Belize’s coastline from erosion and storms, fuels the country’s economy, and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Unfortunately, something we don’t have to imagine is that climate change is putting this ecosystem in crisis. Hard corals depend on clear water and stable temperatures to survive, conditions that are rapidly changing.
What’s Happening to the Corals?
As ocean temperatures rise, corals undergo a process known as bleaching. This happens when the zooxanthellae (tiny symbiotic organisms living inside corals) become stressed and leave. Without them, corals turn pale, weaken, and become more vulnerable to disease and death. A temperature increase of only 1–2°C above long-term seasonal highs can trigger mass bleaching events.
Ocean acidification poses an additional threat. As carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, it reduces the availability of calcium carbonate, the material corals need to build their skeletons.
Water quality is also deteriorating, with murkier conditions harming coral health.
If coral reefs collapse, a quarter of all marine life could vanish. Millions of people would lose food and income sources, and coastlines would face storms and erosion with significantly less protection.
And this is only the story of coral reefs. In a country like Belize, climate change also intensifies droughts, floods, and hurricanes, and rising sea levels threaten entire coastal communities.
EPI’s Approach to Climate Change Education in Belize
Across all its program sites, EPI emphasizes equipping students with tools for critical thinking and scientific inquiry.
“As an organization that works in environmental and scientific education, it’s essential that students learn to ask questions, gather evidence, and build arguments based on evidence. Part of it is looking for tangible signs of climate change over time, so students learn how to identify those tools, interpret graphs, not at a university level, but as a first approach to understanding information for decision-making,” explains Ana Beatriz Hernández, Biologist and EPI Belize Program Coordinator.
Beyond data collection and interpretation, EPI encourages systems thinking: understanding how a “small, isolated event” connects to broader biophysical and socioeconomic factors, zooming out from the micro to the macro.
“This course taught me a lot both in an educational sense and also in a larger way, it really opened my eyes to the realities of climate change and taught me many things I was not aware of before… Overall it was an amazing experience and I’m glad to have been able to go on this trip,”shared an anonymous student who participated in a 2024 Belize course.
Citizen Science on the Reef
To better understand local climate impacts, students participate in citizen science across different Belizean ecosystems.
On the reef, they use the Coral Watch protocol to monitor the health of hard corals. While snorkeling, they use a color-coded chart to identify shifts in coral pigmentation. Darker or lighter tones that serve as an early “bleaching alarm.”
Students submit their observations to a global database used by researchers tracking bleaching events. Each snorkel site requires at least 20 observations. NGOs and government institutions rely on this data to improve conservation strategies and climate adaptation measures.
Mangroves, Seagrasses, and Blue Carbon
Students also explore how coastal ecosystems help mitigate climate change globally. Mangroves and seagrasses act as powerful carbon sinks. Mangroves alone can store up to 50 times more carbon in their soils than tropical forests.
As part of the program curriculum, students learn about the ecological role of seagrasses and explore key indicators such as canopy height, coverage, and species diversity.
Personal Choices and Collective Solutions
EPI also invites students to reflect on their personal habits and environmental impact. They examine everyday consumption patterns, carbon footprints, and pollution, especially ocean pollution. Instructors emphasize that reducing carbon emissions is essential to combating ocean acidification and warming.
Students are encouraged to make mindful choices, like using coral-safe sunscreen or opting for long-sleeved swimwear instead of applying large amounts of harmful sunscreen before snorkeling.
Despite the enormity of climate change, EPI ensures students feel empowered, not overwhelmed. They contribute to real research, gain insight into how personal decisions affect ecosystems, and discover pathways to participate in collective solutions within their local communities.
“This experience was beyond enlightening when it comes to conservation and life sciences… I definitely plan on taking a step forward in my community when I get home. I can definitely say this will be the highlight of my summer,” said another anonymous EPI Belize student this year.
