RIOS DE BELICE - RIVERS OF BELIZE - SIBUN RIVER

Introduction

The Sibun River is a river in Belize which drains a large central portion of the country. It starts in the Maya Mountains, at approximately 800 meters above sea level, and flows through a gorge until it reaches an alluvial floodplain, where citrus and cacao are planted. Before the river reaches the village of Freetown Sibun, river figs and spiny bamboo are common along its banks; along the stretch of river between the coast and the village, mangroves are predominant. It empties into the Caribbean Sea, south of Belize City.
The Sibun Watershed Association is a local organization focused on environmental issues within the watershed.

The Sibun River

The Sibun is one of Belize's major river systems. Along with the Caves Branch River and Dry Creek, the Sibun River drains a major portion of the northeastern section of the Maya Mountains. The river has many faces as it winds its way from deep within the interior of the country to the mouth just south of Belize City. Though the river travels a little over 50 miles from source to mouth, the many twists and turns translates into over 100 miles of actual river.
Where the river leaves the mountains, farms grow a variety of crops on the wide flood plains and highly rich limestone soils. Once past the bridge on the Hummingbird Highway the Sibun River flows through limestone hills that are pockmarked with caves. Few recent settlements have grown along the banks of the Sibun, though development is now on the increase. The mouth of the river is constantly mined for sand.The following photos of the river and brief text help to reveal the many faces of the Sibun River. Use the map to the left and click on any of the sections of the river that interest you. You can also click on any of the small images to bring up a larger version of the same image. Then use your "BACK" button to return to this page.


The Source
The Maya Mountains cover a third of Belize and protect the most remote and inaccessible tropical forests of the country. This rugged part of the country contain steep sided valleys, towering waterfalls and numerous small streams draining each mountain valley. While the exact source of the Sibun is unknown, we can follow the contour maps up the watershed to find that the southern end of the Sibun splits up into many of these small streams.
Most of these small feeder streams drain individual mountain valleys. Not only do they drain the heavy wet season rains, but they are also fed by the extensive underground aquifers of the Maya Mountains so that even during the dry season, these streams run. Double, triple or more waterfalls are a common sight along the upper Sibun. This water is the coolest and best tasting water you could ever imagine.
We were very surprised to find small unidentified fish trying to head up many of these smaller feeder streams. If you sat and watched for a while, you would see hundreds of little minnows leaping into the falls. Larger ones would sometime make it, but the small ones never would. The upper watershed of the Sibun River is surprisingly rich with fish life.

Caves Branch
The Sibun River has many tributaries. Three main rivers drain the northeastern portion of the Maya Mountains - Dry Creek to the East, Sibun in the middle, and the Caves Branch to the West. Caves Branch is a very important river to Belizeans, for along its banks lie some of the most productive archaeological sites in Belize.
The Branch River drains karst topography. Karst topography is actually ancient limestone reefs. This whole part of Belize was once underwater and supported a wealth of marine life, enough to build reefs hundreds of feet high. As the limestone erodes, massive cave systems are formed. The river will often disappear into caves all along its route. Within these caves lie artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization. Names of the caves such as Petroglyph and Footprint often reveal what was found inside. All of these caves are dangerous and should never be entered without the proper equipment and a local guide.
The Sibun also flows through karst topography along part of its route. This is one of the most rugged and beautiful stretches of the river. Karst hills, covered with thick tropical forest line both sides of the river. This is the habitat most under pressure from developers.

Coastal Road

This portion of the river is probably the most impacted of all stretches. The new Coastal Road from Dangriga to Democracia crosses the Sibun near the Western Highway. Farms, Tourist resorts and communities are springing up all along the river here. Sand and gravel for construction are mined along the river banks and sand bars.
There is a lot of concern in Belize over this portion of the river because of its importance as a wildlife corridor. Environmental groups and scientists in Belize have joined forces with other groups from around Central America in forming wildlife corridors. These corridors are meant to allow wildlife uninterrupted tracks of forest and protected areas through which to travel. Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, situated along the Sibun river is a critical.

River Mouth
The Sibun ends its journey to the sea just south of Belize City. The mouth of the Sibun is dominated by mangroves and a winding, sinewy track. A few homes and farms are perched on the banks of the lower reaches of the river, but mainly only passing boats and manatee are to be found. The mangroves are an important habitat for Belize both in terms of protection of the shoreline from the eroding force of hurricanes; and for the wealth of marine life which feed on the debris and leaves trapped by the mangrove roots.
The mouth of the river is heavily mined for sand. Local sailboats called "sand lighters" set out each day from Belize City for the short ride to the mouth of the river. Then anchoring the larger boats offshore, the men take smaller boats called dories to shore and fill the dories with sand. The dories return to the larger sailboats again and again unloading the sand. Finally as evening draws near, the sand lighters set sail for Belize City, unloading their cargo on the front streets of the city where anyone needing sand can purchase it.

RIOS DE BELICE - RIVERS OF BELIZE - SARSTOON RIVER

Sarstoon River is a river in the Toledo District of Belize. It forms the country's southern boundary.

The river begins in neighbouring Guatemala, where it is known by its Spanish name, the Sarstun. It flows into Belize and through Toledo to the Caribbean Sea.

RIOS DE BELICE - RIVERS OF BELIZE - MULLINS RIVER

Mullins River is the name of both a river and of a village on that river in the Stann Creek District of Belize.
The Village of Mullins River is located at the mouth of the river of the same name on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, north of Dangriga. At the time of the 1904 census Mullins River had a population of 243 people, but by 2000 the population had dwindled to 198.

RIOS DE BELICE - RIVERS OF BELIZE - MOPAN RIVER

Mopan River is a river in Cayo district in western Belize near the border with Guatemala. The Mopan River discharges to the Belize River as the Mopan merges with the Macal River; the Belize River in turn terminates at the Caribbean Sea. The Belize River/Mopan River Catchment contains over 45 percent of the human population of Belize. A hand cranked vehicle ferry boat conveys visitors to the Xunantunich site across the turbid Mopan River. The Mopan is an important source of drinking water and other domestic use for local people living along the Mopan; however, water quality is degraded from sediment, nutrient loading, untreated sewage discharge, pesticides and other toxins. The major source of degradation is the extensive deforestation in the upper reaches and non-sustainable agriculture. Karper and Boles have asserted: "The greater Mopan/Belize River Catchment provides a prime example of a watershed under stress from extensive non-sustainable agricultural practices that have occurred within the region over the past three decades." Slash-and-burn agricultural practices by native peoples are contributing to such watershed degradation.

Mayan Sites In The Vicinity
Xunantunich, a Mayan site, is situated approximately one kilometre from the Mopan River on high ground. Chaa Creek is another ancient Mayan site several kilometres to the southwest of the Mopan River within the adjacent Macal River watershed.

COROZAL PREPARES FOR GRAND POETRY EXPOSITION

RIOS DE BELICE - RIVERS OF BELIZE - MONKEY RIVER

Pictures of areas along Monkey River, Belize

Monkey River is a coastal watercourse in southern Belize that rises in the Maya Mountains and discharges to the Caribbean Sea near Monkey River Town. One of Belize's major rivers, Monkey River has northern headwaters which originate in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, where the Swasey Branch drains the East Basin of that wildlife sanctuary. Further south, the Bladen Branch watercourse drains the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains including the ancient Mayan settlement areas of Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit. These two watercourses join to form the Monkey River approximately 16 kilometres upstream from the mouth of the Monkey River. The Monkey River is readily navigated throughout the year using small boats, but navigation above the major confluence (of Bladen and Swasey Branches) becomes more difficult due to lack of depth when the dry season starts about February. Habitats in this watershed provide cover for such diverse species as the ocelot, jaguar, howler monkey, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Morelet's Crocodile, Fer-de-Lance and manatee.

Hydrology
The Monkey River is one of six large watersheds in the 1 million acre (4,000 km²) Maya Mountain Marine Area Transect, which connects the Maya Mountains to the coastal waters of the Gulf of Honduras. According to The Nature Conservancy: "The Monkey River in southern Belize supports one of the most pristine coral reefs in Central America, which is part of the second largest barrier-reef system in the world." Thus the water quality of the Monkey River supports not only freshwater species in the river's upper reaches and estuarine species in the lower reaches, but also the sensitive offshore Belize Barrier Reef.
The Monkey River drains much of southern Belize through the Bladen (southern) Branch, which includes tributaries from a part of southern Guatemala and the southern slopes of the Maya Mountains in Belize, containing the ancient Mayan sites of Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun. The (northern) Swasey Branch of the Monkey River rises in the East Basin of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, a wilderness area set aside for jaguar preservation. During the rainy season, the Monkey River manifests considerable turbidity.

Ecology
Yellow bay cedar in Payne's Creek National Park, Belize
The Monkey River has several important ecosystems including: (a) montane broadleaf primary forest; (b) upland coastal plain broadleaf secondary forest; (c) upper river freshwater riverine habitat; (d) lower reach estuarine and mangrove habitats; and (e) Caribbean Sea coral reef and Turtle-grass marine habitat. This shallow marine environment is home to the endangered manatee. Each of these five discrete ecosystems contains important habitat for either terrestrial or aquatic species of southern Belize.
The highest upland watershed area contains expansive forests, which are primary in the highest elevations and secondary in the lower foothills of the Maya Mountains. These montane areas provided an impenetrable protective backdrop for the ancient Mayan settlements here, preventing invasion from any tribes resident in Honduras or Guatemala. These forests have important lumber species such as mahogany and cedar trees and a broad panoply of other broadleaf tree species as well as numerous lianas. Fauna include the jaguar, margay, tapir and venomous pit viper Fer-de-lance, Bothrops asper.
Along the middle and lower reaches, the forest is secondary, betraying the heritage of banana farms and slash-and-burn practises used historically in this area. Today much of this area is protected as the Payne's Creek National Park. Here, relatively dense jungle canopy has returned, resulting in a closed canopy of approximately 15 to 20 metres in height. Yellow bay cedar and other significant sized broadleaf species abound, along with numerous tropical vines and thorny undergrowth flora. A machete is essential for exploration even where there is an established trail. Black howler monkey troops are plentiful, each troop maintaining a home range of 40,000 to 70,000 square metres in this forest.

Ecotourism
Boat trips up the Monkey River are a significant part of ecotourism for southern Belize.[4] Most trips originate from Placencia or Roberts Grove, both marinas on the southern part of the Placencia Peninsula, located approximately 35 kilometres northeast of the mouth of the Monkey River. These small motorised boats typically stop at Monkey River Town for lunch and an exposure to the roadless native populace at that village. Most often the boat trips land at a location about ten kilometers upriver

RIOS DE BELICE - RIVERS OF BELIZE - THE MACAL RIVER

The Macal River is a river running through Cayo district in western Belize. Sites along the river include the ancient Mayan town of Cahal Pech and the Belize Botanic Gardens. The Macal River discharges to the Belize River. There are several tributaries to the Macal River including the following streams: Privassion, Rio On, Rio Frio, Mollejon and Cacao Camp.
The size of the Macal River catchment basin is approximately 1492 square kilometers. The Macal River rises in a rugged portion of the Maya Mountains and flows in a northerly direction where it joins with the Mopan River to form the Belize River. Lying to the east of the Macal River Basin is the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the premier sanctuary established specifically for conservation of the jaguar.
Due to the steep terrain of the headwaters region and the high rainfall of the upper Macal Basin, the Macal River is subject to rapid stage height rise, contributing significantly to the downstream flooding of the Belize River. By legend, the river is named after a beautiful young girl Macall, an uncommon name. The lower river is navigated year-around with canoes.