Impact Mapping on the Monkey River and its Major Tributaries

In April 2007, TIDE conducted an impact mapping exercise on Monkey River and three of its main tributaries - Bladen, Trio and Swasey Rivers - with the assistance of two Freshwater Scientists, consultants Mr. Peter Esselman and Mr. David Buck, who have been doing research in Belize since 2000.  The following is an excerpt taken out of their report and condensed for ease of understanding.  The full report is available from TIDE’s office in Punta Gorda Town.

To conduct the impact mapping, the scientists paddled down the rivers in a canoe and

recorded human impacts using GPS units and specific data sheets.  Back in the office, the data is processed and maps are developed that shows the type, location and severity of the impacts.  The results were quite interesting as indicated in the map below.  The types of impacts recorded were sedimentation, toxins/contaminants, flow alteration, nutrient loading, habitat alteration, and thermal alteration.  The map below is a result of all these impacts combined.

 “In the Monkey River watershed, human impact mapping has identified river segments that require mitigation in order to alleviate further stresses to the watershed’s aquatic resources.  The Bladen Branch of the Monkey River experiences a broad range of impacts with the most dominant impact being milpa agriculture.  Farmers clear and burn forests up to the river’s edge and severely reduce riparian forest function.  Additional human activities are often associated with milpa agriculture (e.g. irrigation, pesticide use) and further accentuate the impact of this land use on aquatic ecosystems. 

Pasture expansion in the Trio Branch has severely compromised the middle and lower

reaches of the watershed.  In addition to the above-mentioned impacts stemming from cattle, pasture development along the Trio Branch also includes significant numbers of barbed-wire fences stretched across the main channel.  This not only represents a significant recreational hazard but also encourages large snags and impedes the natural flow of the river.  The Swasey Branch experiences a broad range of impacts including commercial banana, milpa, gravel mining, grazing, and laundry areas.  The interaction between all of these impacts results in the ‘high’ to ‘very high’ ELSI rankings through much of the lower Swasey Branch.  Mitigation of these stresses requires collaborative efforts between local land owners and conservation organizations”.  The above taken directly from the report.  For more information or to obtain a copy of the report, send an e-mail to fwi_joe at tidebelize dot org