The reef, which is home to hundreds of varieties of sharks, manta rays, tropical fish and sea turtles, spent nearly a decade on the endangered list

Unesco removed the Mesoamerican coral reef in Belize from its list of threatened World Heritage Sites this week, saying the Central American country had taken “visionary” steps to protect it.

The reef, which is the second biggest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, has spent almost 10 years on the endangered list. Though it is home to hundreds of varieties of tropical fish, manta rays, sharks, sea turtles and many more species, Belize had planned to allow oil exploration nearby.