Tropical fish playground comes back from brink

UNESCO hails Belize's efforts to protect world's second-largest barrier reef

SAN PEDRO, Belize - Beneath the crystalline waters off the coast of Belize, colorful fish weave through the arms of the world's second-largest barrier reef, an environmental treasure that UNESCO removed from its list of endangered World Heritage Sites on Tuesday.

Second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Mesoamerican Reef spent nearly a decade on the list, prompted by concerns over Belize's plans to allow oil exploration nearby and the general lack of laws to protect the site.