Hicatee Turtles
Hope for the Hicatee
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education Announces Approved Hicatee Conservation and Action Plan Hope for the Hicatee August 24, 2026 Punta Gorda, Belize —The Fisheries Department within the Ministry of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation has approved and endorsed a conservation and action plan for the Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) locally known in Belize…
Read MoreEvery Turtle Has a Story: My Volunteer Experience with NAFTRG at BFREE
Ashira Rancharan recently wrapped up her contribution to the North American Freshwater Turtle and Tortoise Research Group (NAFTRG) turtle survey of BFREE. Ashira participated in five days of the study, and was particularly intrigued by the nuances between the different turtle species she came across.
Read MoreListening to the Belize River II
Ground-truthing, community knowledge, and the next steps for freshwater stewardship in the Lower Belize River Valley By Jaren Serano | BFREE Dermatemys Social Scientist | Belizean PhD Student, University of Florida Community meeting at the Community Baboon Sanctuary Education Center. For BFREE, conservation has always been about more than protecting individual species. It is also…
Read More2026 Turtle Survey in the Jungle
July 3 – 12, 2026 Join the Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education (BFREE) and the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Volunteer Science Program to participate in a long-term population monitoring project for freshwater and terrestrial turtle species located within BFREE’s Privately Protected Area in southern Belize. The BFREE Privately Protected Area is a 1,153-acre reserve…
Read More2025 Long-term Turtle Survey in the Jungle
July 6 – 16, 2025 Join the Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education (BFREE) and the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Volunteer Science Program to participate in a long-term population monitoring project for freshwater and terrestrial turtle species located within BFREE’s Privately Protected Area in southern Belize. The BFREE Privately Protected Area is a 1,153-acre reserve…
Read MoreDisney Conservation Hero – Thomas Pop
BFREE and our international partner in turtle conservation, Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), are extremely proud to announce that Thomas Pop, manager of the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center was chosen as a Disney Conservation Hero. Tom has been recognized for over twelve years of tireless efforts to conserve the critically endangered Central American River Turtle,…
Read MoreCelebrating Seven Years of Hicatee Awareness Month
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we are waiting for. We are the change we seek.” Barack Obama Hicatee Awareness Month was born out of a need – as are many things. The Hicatee turtle was on the brink of extinction. Belize…
Read MoreFinding Hope Amidst the Loss
A memory that is deeply lodged inside my brain – me, at the age of ten, navigating a trail behind my house winding through the lush broadleaf forests to the purpose of my being, the Belize River. A river that is deep and wide, created by two rivers colliding into one another. My heart pounds…
Read MoreThe Importance of Involving Local Communities in Conservation
By Jaren Serano I vividly recall my first time on the Belize River, navigating a canoe while assisting in population surveys for a Hicatee assessment. Despite my Belizean upbringing, my familiarity was primarily inland, leaving the fishing communities’ way of life somewhat foreign to me. Engaging in river-based research marked my initial exposure to the…
Read MoreJaren Serano returns to BFREE as Dermatemys Program Coordinator
By Jaren Serano During my first stint at BFREE, I had the privilege of witnessing the positive impact that organizations like this have on land conservation, wildlife protection, and the conservation efforts among the local communities in Belize. When I joined as BFREE’s first Science and Education Fellow in 2017, I was immediately drawn to…
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