The Alternating Wet and Dry Savanna Ecosystem of Belize

Encompassing 14,000 acres, The Reserve Belize combines the best of Caribbean coastal living with ready access to a myriad of inland ecosystems, including lagoons, mangrove forests, and mahogany and cedar forests. The Reserve Belize also contains a distinctive savanna ecosystem, which is distinguished by Caribbean pine trees and low-nutrient soils. 

Frequently water-logged as the rainy season progresses, the savanna can become bone dry during other seasons. This results in predominant plant species that are versatile and hardy, able to withstand cycles of submersion and complete lack of water. 

Tree species such as pine, calabash, craboo, palmetto, and oak grow sparsely and are relatively fire resistant. Ground cover in the savanna extends to knee-high sedges and wiry grasses that thrive in the coarse gravel soil peppered with quartz. 

A number of bird species make their homes in stands of savanna trees. At ground level, reptiles and small mammals are most common.