Turneffe Atoll is approximately 48 kilometres long and 16 kilometres wide, making it the largest coral atoll in Belize and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The land and seascape consist of a network of highly productive flats, creeks, and lagoons dotted by more than 150 mangrove islands and higher cayes with savanna and littoral forest.
In 2002, Turneffe Flats formed a sister NGO, Turneffe Atoll Trust. Among other things, Turneffe Atoll Trust funded and drove efforts to establish Turneffe Atoll as Belize’s largest marine reserve in 2012 and recently purchased approximately 6880 hectares at Turneffe to be protected in its natural state in perpetuity for the benefit of the people of Belize.
