Columbia River Forest Reserve, Belize National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Monuments, Natural Reserves

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Columbia River Forest Reserve

For intrepid forest lovers, this is the place to head. Columbia is rugged and remote and spreads over the southern and most tropical comer of the Maya Mountains. It's been the focus of several recent expeditions, each of which has revealed new species never before recorded in Belize, and some new to science. It's the ultimate forest experience in Belize. The hot wet weather super-charges plant growth, and Toledo has also been unscathed by hurriicanes for longer than anywhere else in the country. Once you're in the forest, there is so much wildlife, there really is little point in even beginning to list what can be seen. You haven't seen Belize until you've seen Toledo.

The ring of Mayan farming villages to the south of the reserve are the jumping-off point for the intrepid to explore the area, offering a completely different cultural setting for getting into the forest. Until later this year (1996) the reserve can be reached only by foot though. It is a tough walk of about four hours from San Jose, or slightly less from San Pedro Columbia and San Miguel, and less again from Na Luum 'Ca and Crique Jute. The only existing trails into the reserve are logging tracks, along which it is relatively easy to walk. Road access is however being improved, with a more permanent logging track being put in to the reserve as the result of a recent logging license (according to the Forest Department, the logging won't affect the most environmentally sensitive parts of the reserve, and it is the most serious attempt at introducing sustainable hardwood extraction in Belize for decades). The track will enter the reserve to the north of San Miguel. Buses run to and from the above-mentioned villages four times a week from Punta Gorda. You can hitch (offer the driver a small contribution if you do), from the point where the San Antonio road begins, at the part where the Southern Highway takes a 90 degree turn towards the coast, at the Shell station. San Pedro is two miles down the first road on the right, which begins one and a half miles from the Highway. San Jose is 15 miles from the junction. Tours by vehicle can be arranged by hotels in Punta Gorda or by the Fallen Stones Hotel and Butterfly Ranch near San Pedro Columbia.

There is accommodation in the village guest houses and home stays (basic). It's always good to call ahead (to the community phone number in the phone book) to arrange your stay a day or two in advance. San Pedro Columbia has slightly more options, and there is also luxury accommodation in the area (The Fallen Stones Hotel and Butterfly Ranch has the best forest view in the whole country).

A sequence of ecological studies has recently been undertaken, largely in response to the threat of agricultural incursion and renewed timber exploitation. In the report of an early study, Matola summarizes pioneering exploration and exploitation of the area, and makes the first Belizean recording of the Common Woodnymph. Information of common plant species is given, with species lists for birds, amphibians, and reptiles, plus incidental notes on mammal observations. Speculation on the conservation and ecological significance is made in reference to the markedly different vegetation communities of the Little Quartz Ridge. Significant additions from Meyer et al. (1993a) are reports on two frog species new to science, of the genus Eleuthrodactylus. Brief notes are also provided on other amphibians, reptiles, birds mammal , fish and invertebrates encountered during a four day survey of the Praco Ha Creek area. Further work, resulting from a second 4 day expedition, examined Tzimin Che Ha Creek (Mountain Cow Creek) and Chaque Ha Creek (Wood-quail Creek) areas. Common tree species are listed with further notes on the un-described Eleutherodactylus frog, other amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, fish crustaceans and molluscs. Findings from a 2 week study by Parker et al. (1993) provide seminal additional information, including numerous new Belizean records for plant, bird and amphibian groups. The collection of over 400 plant specimens produced a large number of new records for the country, with 15 out of 68 fern species collected previously un-recorded for example, reflecting the botanical neglect of the lower montane wet forests of Belize. Botanical data collected from Little Quartz Ridge also tended to support Matola' s assertion of an un-common vegetation community. In regard to birds, Parker tentatively concluded the area was 'unusually rich' , with 224 species recorded, including 232 (over 90%) restricted to evergreen forests in Belize (this did not include a further 8 species recorded by Matola . Other birds included typical wet foothill species and a small contingent of montane species. Overall, at least 15 of the birds identified have restricted ranges and are described as threatened by forest clearance elsewhere in their ranges. An additional 35 considered rare or accidental in Belize by Wood et al., are represented by large populations in the reserve. Of the migrant community, Parker asserts that the reserve 'may support globally significant numbers of Neotropical migrants'. The potential importance of the lower montane forests for the Cerulean Warbler is also noted. No new records of mammals were found, the mammal community being considered typical of lowland forest, albeit somewhat depleted in commonly hunted species. In addition, 2 new frog species previously un-recorded for Belize were identified (Hyla minera and H. bromeliacea) (the first has since been found in Monkey Bay and Bladen Nature Reserve and is therefore probably widespread).

The reserve includes a wide variety of landforms. The majority consists of medium to high limestone karst (southern foothills of the Maya Mountains), and is steep and rugged in nature. In common with other similar geological environments in Belize, caves are common and, with numerous sinkholes, surface drainage limited- It also includes Little Quartz Ridge, a unique physiographic feature in Belize, comprised of a fitted fault block of Paleozoic prophorytic rocks, distinctly separate from the Maya Mountains, and with a summit running for 9 miles on a southwest- northeast alignment with an altitude of 870-980 yards. Many of the caves show evidence of Mayan use, and there is strong evidence that at least one major ceremonial centre lies in the reserve.