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Alex Courtenay reporting
Every year World Oceans Day is celebrated to honor our waters and marine life. It serves as a reminder of the importance of the conservation of our oceans, which many communities throughout the world, and in Belize especially, rely so heavily on.

Janelle Chanona - Vice President, OCEANA Belize
"I think World Oceans Days is an opportunity for us to really try to value just how much blessings we have to count on in terms of our marine assets. If we invest wisely and develop sustainably, we can continue to benefit tremendously from these types of locations."

The Port Honduras Marine Reserve is located in the Toledo District, and was established in the year 2000. Dozens of species of fish, mangroves, dolphins and even manatees share the area with several coastal communities. Its unique ecosystem makes it a prime location for various tourism activities.

Dennis Garbutt - Garbutt's Marine and Fishing Lodge
"Within the whole tourism sector there is different opportunities because the Port Honduras Marine Reserve was declared that allowed different opportunities to happen. For example, we have more snorkeling. You look at this nice pristine beach we have here at West Snake Caye. There's more people coming out to enjoy it and really make money from it. For example, taking the boat and bringing the tourists out. Of course you have to be a guide in the whole tour operator thing but its more businesses that have been developed because of showcasing Port Honduras Marine Reserve and because of keeping this area pristine."

Snorkeling and simply observing marine life isn't the only thing that keeps tourists coming back to this southern paradise.

Dennis Garbutt - Garbutt's Marine and Fishing Lodge
"Sport fishing, fly fishing is one of our big thing. We get people from mostly North America, Canada and different parts of the world, even as far as New Zealand coming with us to fly fish. They're looking for guides, and first of all an area more in its pristine stage because these are guys that are looking for that particular type sport. They're not looking for just your ordinary throw with the boat and catch a fish then reel it in. They're more sight-seeing, they see a fish, they cast to it, and it's all artificial. It's artificial bait they're using, no live bait."

Due to its location and abundance of wildlife, Port Honduras is often under threat from foreign invaders and even local fishers who tend to use unsavory methods to catch their fish.

Edwin Cabrera - Head Ranger, Abalon Island
"These guys would come at night try to risk it at night. Earlier this year we had an encounter all in this area. They had some gillnets in this area which is what we consider Pocono Boy area. It had a long line that would probably be set from here all the way to the island. So it was very long."

The Port Honduras Reserve is also under threat from natural forces. Monkey River and Punta Negra are two well-known communities that have been heavily impacted by coastal erosion, which Garbutt told us has been occurring at an alarming rate.

Dennis Garbutt - Garbutt's Marine and Fishing Lodge
"And when you look at the beach erosion that happened within that area within the past 3 years, that's major. Just here at West Snake Caye, look at that little island out there, that used to be a vibrant luscious little forest with birds and all types of things in there and now it's just a shallow area covered by water. So we are seeing our share, we don't know what it is, I personally can't say what it is. I've seen islands disappear, small half acre size island no longer there. The guys are now poling over that as flats for fishing. So there is that concern for me and for quite a number of us here in Toledo as it relates to some type of thing happening with climate change."

Development in the area is still minor, and large scale hotels and resorts are scarce, but the residents in the area don't mind that too much. While they would like to see more and more tourists visit, they would prefer to expand sustainably.

Dennis Garbutt - Garbutt's Marine and Fishing Lodge
"When you have something like this happening and making a difference already, it's time to build and not rather than destroy. I think we can work with what we have in existence rather than try to create another Cancun or san Pedro here in Toledo. We have something unique and I think that we can make a living from it. Not just my family but the Toledo district on a whole."

This year World Oceans Day is celebrated under the theme "Our Ocean, Our Future" and aims to focus conservation efforts on plastic pollution prevention and cleaning the oceans of marine litter. The US Embassy led the charge on that with a beach cleanup in Dangriga this morning.

The U.S. Army South's Beyond the Horizon partnership team and the U.S. Embassy team dup with the Dangriga City Council, Dangriga Community Police, Belize Defence Force, Belize Coast Guard, and 100 students and teachers from four Dangriga schools. The team collected approximately 150 bags of rubbish from a stretch of beach in front of the Holy Ghost School in Dangriga.