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Hol Chan Martine Reserve, Now 6x Bigger
posted (February 26, 2015)
It's already one of the most famous marine reserves on earth and tonight, Hol Chan is even better than that because it's gotten 6 times bigger. Last week, Cabinet approved an expansion to include a 40 acre plot of lagoon and wetlands - called Sunset Cove. It was designated as Zone F of the reserve some time ago, but in September reports emerged that it was being surveyed for house lots. That raised howls of protest - and the good news is that it worked - and yesterday a ceremony was held to celebrate the accomplishment. We found out more from the park manager:

Miguel Alamilla, Hol Chan Marine Reserve
"Hol Chan Marine Reserve has a total coverage currently on 56sqkm. This expansion will greatly add to what it is Hol Chan right now. I think it's over 330sqkm of additional mangrove, sea grass beds and coral reef that we are adding to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. So, in all we are multiplying what we have by more than 6 times."

Hon. Manuel Junior Heredia, Area Representative
"As the Minister of Tourism, I am extremely proud, because any reserve that you create within the number one tourists destination will definitely enhanced the visiting experiencing of our tourists and I can guarantee you, that once its internationally known that this has been done, you will find that a lot more tourists will be wanting to come to this destination, to see what it's all about."

Miguel Alamilla, Hol Chan Marine Reserve
"We started with a little over 18sqkm. We have been adding. In 1999, we added Zone D and in 2008, we further increased from 18sqkm to over 50sqkm and now this is another expansion that is happening. When I started working here, it was myself plus 3 rangers. Now we are a staff of 18."

This expansion was first proposed in 2010.

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