Iingqaqa ZaseBelize Indawo Ebalulekileyo Ehlabathini — IWatchtower LAYBRARI EKWI-INTANETHI

Iingqaqa ZaseBelize Indawo Ebalulekileyo Ehlabathini

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EMEXICO

“Ukuwohloka okanye ukuphela kwayo nayiphi na indalo ebalulekileyo kuthetha ukuncipha kwelifa leentlanga zonke zehlabathi. . . . Ngoko ke kufuneka abantu ehlabathini lonke bayilondoloze indalo ekhethekileyo.”—INgqungquthela yeUNESCO Yokulondolozwa Kwendalo Yehlabathi.

KUVUNYELWANA nala mazwi angasentla, ngowe-1996 iBelize Barrier-Reef Reserve System yagqalwa njengeNdawo Ebalulekileyo Ehlabathini. Igqalwa njengeMachu Picchu ePeru, iGrand Canyon eUnited States nezinye iindawo ezibalulekileyo ehlabathini. Yintoni eyenza le ndawo “ibaluleke kangaka ehlabathini”?

Ilifa Elifanele Lilondolozwe

IBelize Barrier Reef yeyesibini ngobukhulu kwiingqaqa zehlabathi, ilandela iGreat Barrier Reef yaseOstreliya, yaye yeyona inde kwiNtshona yeIkhweyita. Igubungela umgama oziikhilomitha ezingama-300 ngakwiYucatán Peninsula, kuquka phantse nonxweme luphela lwaseBelize, ilizwe elikuMbindi Merika. Xa kuqukwa le ngqaqa—enyanisweni nothotho lwezinye—le ndawo iquka iziqithana ezingama-450 ezinentlabathi neengqaqa ezinkulu ezintathu, iingqaqa eziyila izangqa ezinamachweba amahle. Kule ndawo kukho amachibi asixhenxe anokuba ziiskwekhilomitha ezingama-960 ibe kukho nezidalwa zaselwandle, yaye ezi ndawo zikhuselwa yimithetho eyamiselwa kwiNgqungquthela Yehlabathi Yokukhusela Indalo.

Kubalulekile ukuba ezi ngqaqa zilondolozwe kuba kulapho kuhlala khona ama-25 ekhulwini azo zonke izidalwa eziphilayo nezityalo zaselwandle. Ngamahlathi ashinyeneyo kuphela anezinto eziphilayo ezingaphezu kwezifumaneka kwiingqaqa. Ukanti izazinzulu zilumkisa ngelithi ama-70 ekhulwini azo zonke iingqaqa ehlabathini liphela ziza kutshabalala kwiminyaka engama-20 ukusa kuma-40 ezayo ngaphandle kokuba abantu bayayeka ukungcolisa iilwandle ngeendlela ezininzi, ukuba nabakhenkethi abaninzi gqitha, nokutyhefa iintlanzi ngemichiza yecyanide.

KwiBelize Barrier-Reef Reserve System kuye kwafunyanwa iindidi zeengqaqa eziqinileyo ezingama-70, ezithambileyo ezingama-36 neendidi zeentlanzi ezingama-500. Apha kuhlala nezinye izidalwa zaselwandle ezinqabileyo nezisecicini lokutshatyalaliswa njengofudo lwaselwandle ekuthiwa yiloggerhead, ufudo oluluhlaza nolo kuthiwa yihawksbill, isilwanyana esikhulu saselwandle ekuthiwa yimanatee nengwenya yaseMerika. Ethetha ngeendidi ezimangalisayo zezinto eziphila elwandle ezikule ndawo, umphandi ngeengqaqa uJulianne Robinson uthi: “Kuninzi gqitha abanokuphanda ngako abo benza lo msebenzi kanti nabakhenkethi banokubona izinto ezininzi gqitha kwiBelize Barrier Reef System. . . . Le yenye yezona ndawo zintle nezimbalwa onokubuka kuzo indalo, noko ke, isengozini.”

Mhlawumbi eyona ngozi ezijongene nayo iingqaqa zaseBelize kukujika kombala wezi ngqaqa ebezikade ziyimibalabala zibe mhlophe. (Bona ibhokisi kwiphepha 26.) INational Geographic News ithi xa kwakukho iSitshingitshane uMitch, ezi ngqaqa zajika zamhlophe ngowe-1997 nangowe-1998 nto leyo eyanciphisa utyani olugqume ezi ngqaqa ngama-48 ekhulwini. Yintoni eyabangela lo monakalo? Nangona kusaphandwa, isazinzulu ngeengqaqa uMelanie McField uthi: “Ukuguquka kombala weengqaqa kunento yokwenza nokunyuka kweqondo lobushushu lolwandle. . . . Nalo ilitha lelanga libangela ukuguquka kombala, yaye xa ezo zinto zidibene zombini ziguqula iingqaqa zibe mhlophe kakhulu.” Noko ke, okuvuyisayo kukuba ezi ngqaqa zaseBelize ngokuthe ngcembe zibuyela kumbala wazo.a

IParadesi Engaphantsi Kwamanzi

Amanzi ekudala ekho kwiingqaqa zaseBelize, athandwa gqitha ziindadi ngenxa wobushushu bawo obukumlinganiselo weqondo lama-26 ngokukaCelsius. Kuma-90 ekhulwini ezi ngqaqa akukafikeleli mntu. Zikumgama nje weemitha ezingamakhulu ambalwa ukusuka eSan Pedro eAmbergris Cay, yaye kulula ukufikelela kuzo xa ulapho. Yaye kwiikhilomitha nje ezintandathu kumazantsi-mpuma eSan Pedro kukho iHol Chan Marine Reserve, yona eziiskwekhilomitha ezisibhozo zomyezo onamanzi asisidibi anomsinga onqumla kwezi ngqaqa.

Enye yezona ndawo zibangel’ umdla yiBlue Hole, indawo ekhuselweyo ekwiikhilomitha ezinokuba li-100 ukusuka eBelize kwiLighthouse Reef. Isazi ngolwandle saseFransi uJacques-Yves Cousteau wayenza yaduma le ndawo ngoxa wayekukhenketho lwakhe lokuphanda ngenqanawa uCalypso ebudeni bowe-1970. Ekubeni ikumanzi aluhlaza, iBlue Hole ikwindawo emzuba engumngxuma ojikelezwe butyani. Lo mngxuma uziimitha ezinokuba ngama-300 ububanzi nezingaphezu kwe-120 ubunzulu. Ngaphambi kokuba amanzi olwandle anyuke, lo mqolombana ungaphantsi komhlaba wawomile, yaye kamva uphahla lwawo lwadilika. Iindonga zawo zehlel’ ezantsi kangangeemitha ezinokuba ngama-35, apho kuyileka intsika yekalika (stalactite) ejinga eluphahleni. Lo mqolomba mhle ngendlela emangalisayo yaye uyabonakala ukusa kumgama onokuba ziimitha ezingama-60. Zimbalwa izidalwa zaselwandle eziphilayo kulo mngxuma ngaphandle kookrebe. Abo badada apha bafanele balumke bangantywili ngokukhawuleza yaye kufuneka abantu abanamava kuphela. Noko ke, kumnandi gqitha ukudada kwezi ngqaqa, zinamanzi acwengileyo.

Kufuphi nale ndawo kukho iNdawo yesixhenxe Ebalulekileyo Ehlabathini, iHalf Moon Cay, isiqithi esihle nekufumaneka kuso intaka yaselwandle enqabileyo ired-footed booby. Kule ndawo kuye kwafunyanwa nezinye iindidi zeentaka ezingama-98. Xa untywila usuka kwiHalf Moon Cay Wall, uya kwehlela ezantsi kwiingqaqa ezintle ezinokuba kwiimitha ezili-1 000 ngezantsi.

Njengokuba sibonile kolu tyelelo lufutshane lwaseBelize Barrier Reef, kukho isizathu esivakalayo sokuyilondoloza le ndawo intle ukuze ibonwe nazizizukulwana ezizayo. Ukuwohloka kwayo kuya kuthetha “ukutshatyalaliswa kwelifa lazo zonke iintlanga.”

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

a Mhlawumbi akukho nto ingako inokwenziwa ngabantu ngeqondo lobushushu lehlabathi nto leyo enyusa iqondo lobushushu lamanzi olwandle, kodwa ukuqukwa kwezi ngqaqa zaseBelize kwiindawo ezibalulekileyo zehlabathi kukhuthaze abemi balapha ukuba bakukhuthalele ukulondoloza indalo elapho.

[Ibhokisi/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 26]

Ukutshintsha Kweengqaqa Zibe Mhlophe

Iingqaqa ziyilwa zizidalwa ezininzi ezitya inyama ekuthiwa ziicoral polyps, ezinesikhumba esiqinileyo esinekalika. Ngoxa ezi zilwanyana zisaphila, zakhela phezu kwamathambo ezo zafa kudala. Ubulembu obuncinane obuluhlaza (zooxanthellas) buphila ngokumfimfitha ezi zilwanyana, phofu ke nazo zifumana okuthile kubo. Kaloku bona bukhupha ioksijini nezondlo ezifunwa zizo ngoxa bona ubulembu bufunxa ikharbon diokside ekhutshwa zezi zilwanyana. Ekubeni zingakuthandi ukutshintsha kobushushu bamanzi, ezi zilwanyana ziyabubukula ubulembu xa amanzi eqalisa ukuba shushu ngakumbi, nto leyo ebangela ukuba zilahlekelwe yichlorophyll kuze oko kuguqule ibala lazo libe mhlophe. Ekubeni ngeli xesha zibuthathaka, iingqaqa zisenokungenwa sisifo zize zife. Noko ke, iingqaqa azifi msinya kangangokuba zinokuphinda ziphile xa zikhuselwe.

[Inkcazelo]

[Imaphu ekwiphepha 23]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

Mexico

BELIZE

Caribbean Sea

Pacific Ocean

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

Umfanekiso weengqaqa zaseBelize eziziikhilomitha ezingama-300 othatyathwe emajukujukwini

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

Rendezvous Cay

[Inkcazelo]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

Ufudo lwaselwandle ekuthiwa yi-“hawksbill”

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24, 25]

IBlue Hole ekwiLighthouse Reef, eyayileka ngokudilika komqolombana wekalika

[Inkcazelo]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 25]

KwiBelize Barrier Reef kufumaneka iindidi zeentlanzi ezingama-500

[Inkcazelo]

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 23]

Umfanekiso othatyathwe emajukujukwini: NASA/The Visible Earth (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/); iindadi: © Paul Duda/Photo Researchers, Inc.

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 24]