{"id":7264,"date":"2018-10-03T14:15:32","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T18:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/?p=7264"},"modified":"2018-10-03T14:41:43","modified_gmt":"2018-10-03T18:41:43","slug":"the-mesoamerican-reef-a-shared-vision-for-prosperity-and-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/2018\/10\/03\/the-mesoamerican-reef-a-shared-vision-for-prosperity-and-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mesoamerican Reef: A shared vision for prosperity and conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Working with the next generation of conservation leaders in the MAR <\/em><\/p>\n

Transformative change on an ecosystem scale is extremely challenging. But in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR)\u2014 stretching 600 miles of coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras\u2014sustaining a rich array of biodiversity and thousands of local people, it is happening. Leaders from all four countries recently convened on a shared vision for prosperity and empowered coastal communities\u2014setting a new course for sustainable fishing and ecotourism in the region.<\/p>\n

The complex balance of the coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses protect and nurture more than 500 species of fish\u2014essential in these countries for food security, economic development, and poverty alleviation. The beauty of the reefs attract visitors and ecotourism dollars to local communities.<\/p>\n

Engagement and leadership by these local communities is crucial to conserving this vital ecosystem for the future.\u00a0 That\u2019s why EDF teamed up with the Mesoamerican Reef Leadership program<\/a> to bring together twenty exceptional leaders from all four countries for a collaborative workshop on sustainable small-scale fisheries projects. The MAR Leadership program is a joint initiative of the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, A.C. (FMCN) and The Summit Foundation which aims to advance and accelerate long-term conservation in the Mesoamerican Reef ecoregion by training the next generation of regional leaders.<\/p>\n

During the workshop, the group explored how fisheries reform and good governance of the oceans can be a catalyst for growth and sustainable development \u2013 including meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. \u00a0EDF shared our Sustainable Fisheries Toolkit<\/a> and introduced methods for science-based management in data-limited fisheries to help support the MAR leadership projects.<\/p>\n

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One of the most illuminating parts of this collaboration was a discussion on how each of these projects are helping their stakeholders and communities meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).\u00a0 SDG #14 is focused on Life Below Water, but when we did a deep examination of the bold ambitions for these projects, we saw how they also helped with poverty alleviation, food security, equality, health, education and climate adaptation.\u00a0 Mapping the projects to the SDGs reinforced how critical sustainable fisheries and oceans conservation is to the overall sustainable development of the Mesoamerican Reef region.<\/p>\n

The projects include innovative and bold initiatives to generate an upward spiral of sustainable resource management, conservation and economic benefits for coastal communities\u2014focused on sustainable fishing, ecotourism and local markets\u2014including:<\/p>\n