Johny Isaias Tzib
The forests of northern Belize are part of La Selva Maya, one of the largest and most important tropical forest regions in Central America. These forests are home to an incredible variety of wildlife, including two deer species that are often overlooked: the red brocket deer (Mazama temama) and the Yucatán brown brocket deer (Odocoileus pandora). These deer play a key role in keeping the ecosystem healthy by helping with seed dispersal and serving as prey for big cats like jaguars and pumas. But despite their importance, we still know very little about where they live, how many there are, or how they are being affected by people and changes to the land in this region of Central America.
University of Belize interns Cadir (in yellow) and Enrique (in blue), along with CWC volunteer Derrick (in grey), conducting camera trap checks along a road in the Yalbac study site of the Belize Maya Forest. © Communities for Wildlife Conservation 2025.
This project will use ten years of camera trap data collected from protected forests in northern Belize to better understand where these deer species are found and what factors influence their presence. In 2024, a Yucatán brown brocket deer was photographed in Belize for the first time, which means many earlier sightings may have been misidentified. By going back through the data and conducting a new survey in 2025, we will be able to build a clearer picture of the status of both species.
A big part of this project involves working with local people. Community members from nearby villages and student interns from the University of Belize will be trained to help review camera trap images, collect field data, and identify deer species. This will not only support the research but also build skills and create opportunities for people to get involved in wildlife conservation.
The information gathered will be used to create maps from our occupancy analysis results that will show where each species mostly occurs and how things like forest cover, predator presence, and human activity influence distribution. The results will be shared with local communities, conservation groups, and government agencies to help guide future decisions about wildlife and land management.
In the end, this research will improve our understanding of these deer species and highlight their role in Belize’s ecosystems. It will also support broader conservation goals by involving local people and generating data that can inform protection strategies across the La Selva Maya landscape.
Header image: Team members Darby (with chainsaw) and David conducting trail maintenance with community members, Jose (in blue), Brian( in red) and Leo (red and blue), from Sylvester Village in the Belize Maya Forest to prepare sites for camera trap setup. © Communities for Wildlife Conservation 2025.