WEBVTT

00:01.966 --> 00:13.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
- [Narrator] Beautiful Belize.
Abundant tropical rainforests,
towering jungle mountains,

00:17.066 --> 00:27.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
and vivid coral reefs. With
nearly 36% of its land and 20%
of its ocean territory
safeguarded within

00:27.333 --> 00:33.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
protected reserves, this small
developing country stands out as
a world leader in conservation.

00:35.533 --> 00:39.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
- We have had a long
history of conservation,

00:39.566 --> 00:44.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
both from the terrestrial side
and also from the marine side.

00:44.000 --> 00:52.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
- [Narrator] Belize recently
made a bold commitment to
preserving its stunning offshore

00:52.433 --> 00:59.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
ecosystems for future
generations with a pledge to
extend marine protections to 30%
by 2026.

01:01.633 --> 01:06.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
This move marks more than four
decades of sustainable
management informed by science.

01:06.666 --> 01:12.033 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
- [Demian]

01:12.033 --> 01:18.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
In the late '80s and '90s they
established the world's first
Jaguar reserve, the Cockscomb
Basin

01:18.400 --> 01:23.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
Wildlife Sanctuary, that was
based on research by several
people, including Dr. Alan
Rabinowitz.

01:23.966 --> 01:26.566 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
- [Narrator] Using data
collected from remote cameras
and animal tagging,

01:29.366 --> 01:35.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
Panthera founder Alan
Rabinowitz, a world expert on
wildcats, inspired

01:35.700 --> 01:39.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
the Belizean government to
protect its critical jaguar
habitat in 1986.

01:46.366 --> 01:52.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
Today, marine scientists are
using similar methods to inform
management decisions about

01:52.766 --> 01:57.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
critical shark habitat,
effectively creating the
Cockscomb of the Sea.

01:57.866 --> 02:01.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
- [Demian] So we do all those
same things here on the atolls,

02:01.600 --> 02:04.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
but for sharks, sort of
the jaguars of the ocean.

02:04.633 --> 02:09.000 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
- [Narrator] Shark populations
here serve not only an essential
ecological role in the reef
system,

02:11.533 --> 02:16.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
but they are paramount to the
country's tourism industry and
national fisheries,

02:16.333 --> 02:22.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
requiring the government of
Belize to strike a delicate
balance between stakeholders.

02:22.733 --> 02:28.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
- [Fisher] Conservation goes
hand-in hand with the
livelihood. If you conserve
something, it doesn't

02:28.400 --> 02:33.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
mean you cannot fish it. It just
means that you need to now
operate in a more sustainable
manner

02:33.633 --> 02:39.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
to ensure that you have this
fishery for a very long time not
just for you, but for your kids.

02:39.200 --> 02:47.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
- [Narrator] In a pioneering
collaboration, marine scientists
and local fishers work

02:47.666 --> 02:52.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
together to collect data on
shark abundance inside and
outside of protected areas.

02:52.700 --> 02:54.500 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
- [Researcher] 173.

02:54.500 --> 02:58.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
- [Narrator] These long-term
surveys provide the

02:58.166 --> 03:03.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
fisheries department with what
they need to manage shark
populations sustainably.

03:03.266 --> 03:07.033 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
- [Researcher] The most
efficient and most effective
management plan

03:07.033 --> 03:10.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
that you can have is one where
the people who actually use the
resource,

03:10.433 --> 03:12.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
want to be involved, care about
it, and want to protect it.

03:12.700 --> 03:15.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
- [Researcher] Alright,
tag number 836.

03:15.233 --> 03:18.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
- [Narrator] More than 20 years

03:18.166 --> 03:22.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70%
in the making, these
collaborative efforts to better
understand shark

03:22.933 --> 03:31.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
behavior have already resulted
in marine conservation
successes. How are

03:31.500 --> 03:36.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
scientists, fishers, and
managers working together to
build more sustainable fisheries
in Belize?

03:39.033 --> 03:44.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80%
And what does the future hold
for local shark populations, the
Jaguars of the Sea?