Empowering Fishing Communities in the MAR Reef

As promised, results have been achieved through the initiative Involvement of Local Communities in the Conservation and Restoration of Mangrove and Coral Reefs and Promotion of Good Practices in Sustainable Fisheries in the Mesoamerican Reef System.

The restoration of public natural assets such as fish stocks, mangrove and coral reef ecosystems is what this initiative seeks. Up to date, we have been able to:

• Implement three projects in coral reef restoration. Two of which have ended and one is still under development.
• Implement one project in mangrove restoration, still under development.
• Strengthen the MAR Coral Reef Restoration Network through the creation of a strategic plan with its action plan, operational plan, financial sustainability plan, information exchange protocol and a code of ethics, all of which have been approved by the Network’s Executive Committee.
• Strengthen the MAR Sustainable Fisheries Network through meetings of the Executive Committee of the Fisheries Network and the hiring of the coordinator for the network.
• Develop meetings of the Regional Dialog Group for the creation of capacities regarding the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) and standardized the SCTLD monitoring in the region through the investigation of different methodologies used.
• Development and publishing of the Manual for the Ecological Restoration of Mangroves in the Mesoamerican Reef System and the Wider Caribbean.

Through the development of this joint initiative, between the MAR Fund (RRI Reef Rescue Initiative, MAR Sustainable Fisheries Network, Local Communities), the MAR2R-CCAD Project and Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola del Istmo Centroamericano (OSPESCA), we continue to develop actions that focus on the restoration of these natural assets, with the participation of different actors, and local communities.

Each activity developed takes us closer to the thriving resource we need.

Thank you for your help and for believing in our work.

The MAR Fund Team.