Inland

The Property lies on the northern coastal plain, with a bedrock composed of the youngest limestones to be found in Belize, being formed in the Pleistocene period. These limestones provide the parent material for the different soil types found on the property. Since the Property has many different soil types, a more in-depth examination of the various soil types found in the Biodiversity Report.

Coastal

The coastal area has limited agricultural value due to high salinity and seasonal or permanent inundation. The soils are poorly drained and due to their high salinity, can only naturally support halophytic plants such as mangroves, which are the predominant associated vegetation type. These soils are very young and composed of fairly structureless silts and clays, with a moderately alkaline pH.

With little traditional agricultural potential, present use is primarily as fishing grounds for local communities. There is a major potential for aquaculture, residential or tourism development with consideration given to the clearance of coastal red mangrove, which maintains a buffer vegetation to protect this area from erosion due to full force storm waves and destructive hurricanes.

This coastal plain stretches westward for 4.5km to 5km, where it meets higher land with less saline, slightly better-drained soils, representing an older shoreline from a previous inundation period. Here, soils are shallow and calcareous, over old coral reef limestone bedrock. They have low agricultural potential due to their shallow nature (averaging less than 30cm deep) and the impenetrable hardness of the underlying bedrock, causing extreme drought during dry season.

Solid bedrock found throughout the area at varying depths provides a dependable base for foundations used in future development and infrastructure projects along this coastal strip.

Note:  For more information, please reference the Coastal Assessment