Mesoamerican Reef

Since the mid-1980s, we have worked with the governments of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras to establish marine reserves and wildlife refuges, protect coral reefs, educate the public and train communities and scientists how to better manage protected areas and preserve coral reef systems.

We are working with governments and citizens to ensure conservation efforts are sustainable and successful, and to strengthen local capacities by providing scholarships and other training opportunities to dedicated individuals and communities. WWF has also implemented several public awareness campaigns related to sea turtle conservation, fisheries management and marine protected areas. Additionally, WWF and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have been working together to establish the Ecoregional Financial Mechanism (EFM), a novel initiative that has brought stakeholders together to seek long-term financial sustainability to conservation and natural resource management activities throughout the ecoregion.

Manatees
© Laura Osteen

Protected areas management
We work with governments to implement sound conservation management and finance practices in the region's network of protected areas. This network - if well-managed - will benefit communities that rely on fishing, tourism, agriculture and forestry for livelihoods.

In 1997, we implemented an ecoregion-based conservation plan, agreeing to participate with the governments of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala to manage the Mesoamerican Reef, as a single ecosystem. Two years later, with major support from WWF and other partners, the countries agreed on a detailed Action Plan to strengthen the regional system of protected areas, manage regional fisheries and conserve key species. This blueprint for reef conservation paved the way for an $11 million grant from the Global Environment Facility for conservation activities throughout the ecoregion.

• International Year of the Reef- During 2008, the International Year of the Reef (IYOR), World Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International call on governments, businesses, academic institutions, coastal residents, scientists, and non-governmental organizations around the world to vastly increase actions to protect coral reefs. 

Addressing Impacts of Climate Change
Rising temperatures are threatening the Mesoamerican Reef. We are researching the impact of climate change, altered rainfall and coral bleaching.

Safeguarding key watersheds
WWF seeks to harmonize agricultural development with a healthy marine ecosystem. We are collaborating with industry leaders to implement better management practices of watersheds by reducing the use of fungicides, pesticides and herbicides while mitigating soil erosion in major agricultural sectors.

• Sustainable Footing for Agriculture - We are pioneering action in diverse agricultural sectors to reduce the use of pesticides and soil erosion. All along the terrestrial habitats of the Mesoamerican Reef, WWF and partners are coordinating efforts with oil palm, citrus, sugarcane, pineapple, banana, and shrimp operators and processors, to develop spatial and temporal benchmarks to promote and adopt Better Management Practices (BMPs) aimed to reduce the environmental impact in the natural resource base, using state of the art science and technology.
  • The WWF Agriculture and the Environment Program goals include
    1. SHORT TERM: Develop a scientific and technological platform focused on pursuing a significant harmonization of agricultural activities with the health of terrestrial and marine habitats of MAR to foster a sustainable human development with reduced environmental impact and conserving the natural resource base.
    2. MID TERM: Develop and implement BMPs in the most intense agricultural and agro-industrial operations that include oil palm, citrus, banana, pineapple, sugarcane, and shrimp, to sustain productivity and reduce environmental impact.
    3. LONG TERM: Enhance and promote optimum fitness levels for local flora and fauna populations within the agro-environments, so as to allow proper level of natural forces to act upon.
• Motagua River Basin - Our Mesoamerican Reef program works to protect the region’s freshwater resources for wildlife and local communities.

Promoting sustainable fisheries
We collaborate with local fishermen and the commercial fishing industry to eliminate destructive fishing practices, implement sustainable fishing practices, such as the use of environmentally-friendly fishing traps, and advocate regulation of access to fishing grounds. We are also promoting alternate sources of income to help sustain local economies and livelihoods.

• Saving lobsters through science - Join WWF’s Alicia Medina, a leader in the Mesoamerican Reef’s Marine Protected Areas Program, in Honduras as she helps create a sustainable future for lobster fishing while also securing a future for this iconic species in the reef ecosystem.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification - We work with six fishing cooperatives in Mexico to help them get certified and have their products marketed to the consumer as seafood from responsibly managed sources.

WWF works to improve agricultural processes within the Mesoamerican Reef area.
© Cordillera S.A.

Developing responsible tourism
The lack of a sustainable framework for economic planning has enabled the tourism industry to operate and grow without consideration of subsequent impacts on the reef
system. We are collaborating with governments, local communities, hotel owners, cruise ship lines, and recreational boating, diving and snorkeling operators to implement best environmental practices for tourism.

• Tour Operators Initiative - We have partnered with tour operators in Europe to conserve Mexican reef work with hotels, government (better regulations) and tourists. We are also conducting various tourism strategy workshops to help create better tourism industry practices.
• Riviera Maya - Sustainable tourism is a large component of our work in this heavily traveled part of the reef.

Empowering local communities
We seek to empower local communities as stewards of nature. We are demonstrating how the positive impacts of conservation can increase their quality of life. We also are strengthening local capacity to conduct collaborative conservation work by training individuals and organizations with new skill sets, providing environmentally-friendly equipment, facilitating policy dialogue, and obtaining funding for conservation activities.