Scientists are increasingly arguing that coral-reef restoration is a lost cause — but done right, it can still benefit ecosystems and local communities.

Laughing Bird Caye is part of the Belize Barrier Reef, a complex system of coral reefs, atolls, and cayes, or small islands, spanning 300 kilometers (186 miles) and cradling the nation’s coast.

One of the main reasons snorkeling at Caye Caulker is so extraordinary is its proximity to the Belize Barrier Reef. As the second-largest coral reef system in the world, the reef is a UNESCO World ...

CAYE CAULKER, Belize ... Much of the 200 miles of Belize's coral reef has been "bleached" in the last decade and some scientists warn it is likely to die, a victim of global warming.