This world heritage site of Belize is comprised of seven protected areas; Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, Blue Hole Natural Monument, Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, South Water Caye Marine Reserve, Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve. The reef complex contains 450 sand and mangrove cayes. Charles Darwin described it as the most remarkable reef in the West Indies’. 

According to Unesco, ‘The property provides important habitat for a number of threatened marine species, harbouring a number of species of conservation concern including the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), and the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) as well as endemic and migratory birds which reproduce in the littoral forests of cayes, atolls and coastal areas. Major bird colonies include the red-footed booby (Sula sula) on Half-Moon Caye, brown booby (Sula leucogaster) on Man O’War Caye and the common noddy (Anous stolidus) on Glover’s Reef’.

Name ‘Cayes’ whether it refers to Les Cayes or to Aux Cayes holds the ancient identity of its people along with names Belize and Bacalar Chico. Caye defines its geographical origin in ‘Koa’. It identifies the river Indus along with the river Koa in the Kingdom of Cos or Kosala; Belize thus is identified with Baluka, a district of Kalinga where the river Koa flows. It marks the bird Kua and the God K, or Ku, or Ka, and marks the habitat of the bird Kua also a ‘well’.

Ku—Earth or Bhumi

Kaya—means ‘Body’

Kua also kupa—a bird also called Bayas means ‘Crow’./ a well

Half-Moon Caye—Chandra-bhaga/ River Scamander/Fertile Crescent

Man O’War Caye—Manasarovara

Sula sula—Name of a bird as well as name of a place

Bacalar—Baluka means ‘sand; , also name of a tree;

Chico— or chaya, name of a ‘soil’

Kaka: Kua also called Bayas same as ‘crow’