GlobalGiving.org: Empowering Fishing Communities in the MAR Reef

Make a holiday donation to the MAR reef!

Claudio Gonzalez — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:14:28 GMT

Dear friends,

The holidays are here, and all of us at MAR Fund are taking a moment to reflect and give thanks for those who support us. We have received a number of donations through GlobalGiving this year, and we’re very grateful to all of you! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank donors who prefer to remain anonymous, since we are unable to send them individual thank you notes.

Thanks to the support of all of our donors, this year we were able to support three fishers’ organizations in Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge, Guatemala, to work together and propose a co-management area and three fish recovery sites to the authorities. Co-management will allow fishers to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of the fisheries on which they depend. In the sites in Mexico and Honduras, fishers’ voices are being heard: they are able to use their knowledge and the data they gather to propose ideas to authorities, and authorities are receptive and are working harmoniously with fishers.

We made a lot of progress this year, but there is still work to be done. Among the multiple threats to the Mesoamerican Reef region, overfishing continues to loom large. And so we also look forward to the coming year, and the many activities ahead of us.

Overfishing wipes out large numbers of marine species, making it more difficult for these creatures to grow to reproductive age and continue furthering the species. The MAR Fund is supporting solutions to this issue in part through our GlobalGiving project: Community Fisheries Program .

Donating to the MAR Fund’s project on Global Giving is a gift to MAR region fish species. And by helping promote conservation and good management of fisheries in the MAR region, you are helping coastal fishing communities have a greater stake in the management of their resources, and therefore a chance to improve their livelihood.

We encourage you to make a contribution this holiday season that will directly assist fishers to get involved in fisheries management in the region. If you’re looking for a unique gift, GlobalGiving has the solution: tribute cards. You can give in someone’s name and GlobalGiving will send them a card announcing the gift. Right now, GlobalGiving is running a Tribute Card Challenge in which they will give $500 bonuses to the 15 projects with the most tribute donations. Help our project break into the top 15 and finish your holiday shopping at the same time!

Give in honor of someone who loves to scuba dive, or someone who is enamored of the crystalline waters of the MAR region. Give because you feel compassion for the situation of artisanal fisherman whose livelihood is disappearing. Or because you feel compassion for fish and the reef ecosystem. Or because you want to preserve the treasure that is the Mesoamerican Reef for future generations. Whatever your reason to give, you can be confident that your donation will have a ripple effect.

Again, thank you for your support in 2011, and please consider a year-end gift to help us kick off our work in 2012!

Enjoy your holidays. Wishing you all the best for this season and a positive start to 2012,

The MAR Fund team: María José, Claudio, Patty, Claudia, and Edgar

Give the MAR reef fishermen a chance to be heard

Claudio Gonzalez — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:33:22 GMT

Dear friends,

The 64th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) meeting will be held in Puerto Morelos the first week of November 2011.

This will be a great opportunity for our MAR fishermen to be heard and to meet scientists and researchers who can support the work they are doing in the region. They will also learn about successful projects that can be replicated in the region.

We did the math and estimate that the costs for one fisherman to attend the meeting are at least US$2,500. This includes flights, ground transport, registration and lodging.

This Wednesday, October 19, is a great day to support us to get as many fishermen as we can to this important event, as GlobalGiving is giving away US$100,000 during the final Bonus Day of the year! During this day and only this day, GlobalGiving is matching at 30% all on-line donations, up to US$1,000 per donor per project. In addition to the 30% match, GlobalGiving is offering a $1,000 bonus to the project that raises the most funds that day and a $1,000 bonus to the project that receives donations from the most individual donors! Please consider donating this Wednesday so that your donation will go even further. The number of fishermen we can send to the GFCI meeting depends directly on you!

Please, don't let this amazing opportunity pass by! Thank you very much for your continued support!

Fisheries co-management in Punta de Manabique

María José González — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:29:28 GMT

Puerto Barrios co-management approval meeting

The three fishing communities that are involved in the co-management project within La Graciosa Bay; La Graciosa, Laguna Santa Isabel and Punta Gruesa have achieved interesting advances and are walking the right way on their co-management project in Guatemala.

The co-management area and the three no-take zones proposed by these fishing communities were discussed with the fishermen of Puerto Barrios, another fishing community that fish within La Graciosa Bay. Five representatives from Puerto Barrios went on a boat ride to confirm the location of the proposed areas and confirmed and jointly approved them. They all agree that the proposed no-take zones are among an important reproductive site within the Bay. This was a very important step for the project because there used to be rivalry between these groups for the fishing resources inside the Bay, but now they all have realized that the only way to preserve them is to stand for them together. This way, all fishing effort dependable is involved in and compromised with the project.

La Graciosa Bay neighbour fishing communities have started to show interest in the co-management initiative and they want to know more about how it works and what the benefits this will bring to fishing resources, therefore, to fishermen, are.

We are confident that next update will tell you more good news and progresses about this project. Thank you all again for your priceless support!

Moving forward to regional fisheries co-management

Maria José González — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:37:48 GMT

Fishermen proposing no-take zones to authorities

We are very excited that our first two pilot projects have had great results and impacts and still on the right track. Now, with our third pilot project on its way, we are convinced that we will get even more satisfactory results.

In Honduras, a co-management action plan for the fishing territories was prepared jointly by APROCUS and FUCSA. FUCSA has awarded APROCUS the administration of an ecological camping site, and is also looking to support the implementation of the action plan developed.

In Mexico, the Puerto Morelos Fishing Cooperative submitted a proposal to modify the Management Plan to expand an existing marine reserve (no-take zone) and to add a new fishing ground. The proposal was accepted. CONAPESCA, the Mexican fisheries authority is extending its patrol activities (with fuel, boats, personnel) to include the no-take zones that the Cooperative is monitoring.

The Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge co-management project in Guatemala, which involves three fishing communities within the La Graciosa Bay is moving forward. A co-management area and three no-take zones have already been proposed by the fishing communities. The legal departments of each organization involved in this process (CONAP, DIPESCA and MARN) will evaluate the proposal and the best legal choice to support it.

I take this opportunity to invite you to donate and participate during GlobalGiving Bonus Day on June 15th! During that day and only that day GlobalGiving will match all donations at 30% up to $US1,000 per donor per project. There will be funds available in matching funds only during June 15th. Only on-line donations are eligible for matching. We encourage you to made donations in early, because matching funds will likely run out before the end of the day.

Thanks to your invaluable support, our Community Fisheries Program is extending, and we are moving towards establishing a community marine reserves network within the region.

Co-management workshop with fishermen

Spreading the fisheries co-management

María José González — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:22:43 GMT

In Mexico, the Puerto Morelos Fishing Cooperative have completed the second phase of the monitoring in the established no-take zones and fishing areas within the Puerto Morelos National Park. After two years of coordinated work, they are now negotiating with the authorities how the monitoring will continue and how they can continue coordinating mutual cooperation. In Honduras, the members of the Asociación de Pescadores La Rosita, Cuero y Salado (APROCUS), have concluded their training in these following topics: environmentral education, Fishing Regulations and sustainable economic alternatives. The Co-management Action Plan will be ready by the end of March. Now, thanks to your collaboration and as part of our project, we have started a new co-management initiative in the Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge, in Guatemala. This new initiative involves three fishing communities: La Graciosa, Santa Isabel and Punta Gruesa. These communities live and fish within the La Graciosa Bay. This is a very important biological site for hundreds of marine species that come here to reproduce and that provides them good livelihood conditions such as food and protection. The first meetings with the fishing communities took place in each of their villages during the months of January and February. The first meeting with all the authorities involved: the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP), the Fisheries Direction (DINOPA), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and the Mario Dary Foundation (FUNDARY), the protected area administrator, will be held on March 17, 2011. We look forward to keep sharing with you all our achievements, which wouldn't be possible without your constant support!

Winner of the Gladding Memorial Award 2010

María José González — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:23:45 GMT

Ms. Angélica Méndez, MAR fisherwoman

Last October 2010, the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) announced that Ms. Angelica Mendez, a fisherwoman from Livingston, Guatemala and Manager of the Guatemalan Caribbean Network of Fishers, was the recipient of the Gladding Memorial Award (GMA), 2010. This, in recognition of her efforts towards conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources.

Executive Director of GCFI Dr. Bob Glazer commented “The award recipients represent true fisher visionaries and serve as excellent ambassadors for fisheries conservation in the Wider Caribbean. We believe that fishers must be engaged and empowered to be part of the process of managing our shared marine resources in a sustainable manner.”

Ms. Méndez commented “We depend upon fisheries for our livelihoods and it is imperative that our attitudes and our behavior are consistent with sustainable practices so our children and their children can continue to fish.”

Ms. Méndez joined with fishers from around the region for a dedicated Fishers’ Forum. She explained “We’ve looked five years down the road to plan specific programs on how to achieve more sustainable fisheries. Our most important action now is to scale up currently successful local practices to the country and even the region. We want to apply what we have learned here from science to secure our livelihoods and contribute to sustainable fisheries.”

We are very proud about this dedicated hard-working woman’s accomplishment and we are more than convinced that she represents the Mesoamerican Reef fishing community with great dignity and honor.

Congratulations Angelica! You are an inspiration to other fisher women in the MAR region.

Fantastic opportunity to raise your support!!!

María José González — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:49:20 GMT

Olvin Cayetano, APROCUS's Chair

On September 24, 2010, we made a field visit to the incredible Barras de Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, to talk with the Board of Directors from the Asociación de Pescadores La Rosita, Cuero y Salado (APROCUS) about how they felt after the co-management agreement was signed.

Looks like the co-management agreement immediately began to have its effects among the APROCUS members. They are more than convinced that they have to be an example for other fishermen. Olvin Cayetano, the young enthusiastic Chairman of the association said: “Our fishing grounds are a part of a more important and big ecosystem. It is an income source not only to us, but for thousands of other people.”

Olivia Cavachuela, a La Rosita community fisherman’s wife and former APROCUS’s treasurer, thinks that: “Our Refuge is a small portion of the beautiful Mesoamerican Reef, and it encourages tourism and it has provided all the fish that we have needed to subsist so far”

José Rivas, APROCUS’s secretary and a fisherman from La Rosita community, after hearing what Olvin and Olivia had to say about the Refuge, simply said: “We depend on the natural resources the sea gives us to live, to eat, it provides all we need. It is our life provider…”

We wanted to let you know the point of view of some of the people that you are supporting through our project “Empowering Fishing Communities in the MAR Reef”.

All of your contributions have been vital for the continuity of this project. This is why this time, we’d also like to let you know about the Give More, Get More Matching Campaign that GlobalGiving is doing, starting October 12 to October 21.

This is a fantastic opportunity to increase your support without having to give more from your wallet. Do you know why? Because GlobalGiving is doing that for you! For every donation you made to the project in between those dates, they will be matching them from 30%, 40% and 50%!!!! Great isn’t it!

We encourage you to keep supporting our project, and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Every donation counts!

Olivia Cavachuela, APROCUS's treasurer

José Rivas, fisherman and APROCUS's secretary

The Puerto Morelos Fishermen in action!

María José González — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:13:21 GMT

We would love to share with you this short video clip created by Mr. Joaquín de la Torre from the Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI) with full support from COBI, the NGO that is providing the technical assistance to our project in Mexico. The video shows how the fishermen from the Puerto Morelos Fishing Cooperative monitor the reef. As we mentioned in our last update, they have considerably improved their monitoring skills.

Please watch and confirm it yourself!

We can't stop expressing you our gratitude! Without your support, this just would not be possible!

Links:

Watch the Puerto Morelos fishermen monitor the reef!

Fishing co-management agreement signed in Honduras

María José González — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:10:31 GMT

Mr. René Laffite, Chairman of FUCSA, signing.

On August 12, 2010, at 10:30 am, at the Forestry Conservation Institute (ICF) facilities in La Ceiba City, Honduras, the agreement between the Asociación de Pescadores La Rosita, Cuero y Salado (APROCUS) and the Cuero y Salado Foundation (FUCSA), the foundation that administrates the Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, was signed for the co-management of a fishing territory, which includes four no-take zones (marine reserves) with a diameter of one kilometer each.

The co-management agreement will also be signed by the Forestry Conservation Institute (ICF) and the Food and Agriculture Secretary (SAG). The involvement of these two institutions is because the ICF is the protected area management authority, and the SAG is the authority, through the Dirección General de Pesca (DIGEPESCA), in fisheries.

We are very excited about this giant step the project just gave. This will guarantee APROCUS’s involvement in the designing and developing of the management plan for the fishing territory and the monitoring of the no-take zones jointly with FUCSA.

Thanks to all the people that have supported our project, we are moving ahead on the right track for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources of the MAR reef. But we still have a long way to go!

Mr. Olvin Cayetano, President of APROCUS, signing.

Fishermen monitoring the MAR reef

María José González — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:14:05 GMT

Fishermen in action

During the first week of May, 2010, a workshop was given to evaluate the monitoring techniques learned by the Puerto Morelos Cooperative fishermen and used for the registration of fish, corals, key invertebrates, bottom complex, and substratum type. The workshop was conducted by people from the Natural Protected Areas National Commission (CONANP), the Akumal Ecological Centre, and COBI.

After the workshop, the fishermen went into the water and realized eight monitoring exercises from mid May to early June. They completed satisfactory the data collection in 65 transects.

After the monitoring, people from COBI and CONANP could verify an improvement in the quality of the data. Authorities are considering using this data not only in this project but for management plans, and even including some of the trained fishermen into their monitoring staff.

In Honduras, the Asociación de Pescadores La Rosita, Cuero y Salado (APROCUS) has sent the draft agreement to all the authorities involved: the Forestry Conservation Institute (ICF), which is the protected area head authority; the Fisheries Department (DIGEPESCA), and to FUCSA.

The final document had been revised by the legal department from all three institutions, and is now ready to be signed. The first parties to sign the agreement will be APROCUS and FUCSA.

Training workshop at the Fishing Cooperative

Ready to jum into the water

The co-management continues

María José González — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:59:42 GMT

The two pilot projects of our Community Fisheries Program have completed the first phase with some very interesting results.

In Mexico, the Puerto Morelos Fishing Cooperative, has completed two full monitoring exercises. With the assistance of the Mexican NGO Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI) the Cooperative has developed the baseline of the reef’s status, and will now be able to measure long-term changes and restoration processes through a monitoring plan, inside and outside of the designated community marine reserves.

In Honduras, the three fishing communities of the Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge have organized themselves to create a new association called Asociación de Pescadores La Rosita, Cuero y Salado (APROCUS) that will represent them. They have developed a draft agreement between the association and the refuge administration for the co-management of a fishing territory, which will include no-take zones.

This agreement will allow APROCUS to design and develop the management plan for the fishing territory and to monitor the no-take zones jointly with the Cuero y Salado Foundation (FUCSA), which is the refuge administrator.

We have started the next phase of these two project thanks to all of your support. We look forward to begining with the Guatemalan project in the San Francisco fishing community within th Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge.

Community Fisheries

María José González — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:05:22 GMT

In México, the Puerto Morelos Fishing Cooperative, with the technical assistance of the NGO Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI), has completed their second monitoring phase in the 13 strategic sites in the reef and now they will compare these results with the results from the first monitoring phase.

This will give them the elements to establish the base line on the reef’s health, and will help them to decide if they need to select and establish more “no take zones” within the protected area or not.

In the Wildlife Refuge of Cuero y Salado project in Honduras, a single association that integrates the three fishing communities of the Refuge has been established. The Association has started to negotiate with the Forestry Conservation Institute (ICF) the co-management of fishing grounds within the Refuge. They are working on a draft agreement with the conditions of the co-management arrangement.

As we mentioned in one of our previous updates, there have been other groups of fishermen that are interested in establishing co-management mechanisms and no take zones in their countries. We are trying to raise funds to support the community of San Francisco del Mar, in Izabal, Guatemala. We are sure that more fishing groups will join the community marine reserve initiative.

We are very excited and counting on this GlobalGiving Christmas Challenge to raise the needed funds (US$ 14,927.00) to start with the Guatemalan project and then move forward to other initiatives in the MAR reef region.

A Postcard from Empowering Fishing Communities in the MAR Reef

Mark Skeith — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:59:48 GMT

The Mesoamerican reef presents not only a great deal of biodiversity but also a lifeline of fish stock to villagers along its 1,000 km stretch of coastline. The GlobalGiving-sponsored MAR Fund has been very busy over the last 5 years helping community development organizations in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras participate in the management of these fish populations, but it is now looking to the slither of Guatemalan coastline around the Caribbean town of Livingston to do the same.

This summer, I traveled to Livingston and one of these Guatemalan fishing communities, San Juan, with MAR Fund’s technical coordinator, Claudio Gonzalez. The second I stepped foot on Livingston’s dock, I found myself thrown into an animated debate between trawling boat captains and traditional artesanales fisherman about the future of the waters off their coast. When I think back on all the conversations I had there, I realize just how complicated this debate has become and how vital MAR Fund’s assistance is in its efforts to establish fishing reserves before it’s too late for everyone.

We stumbled upon one such conversation the night before the boat ride out to San Juan as we ran into Claudio’s old friend on one of Livingston’s streets on the way to dinner. The man was very outgoing, and after noticing his Real Madrid hat, I decided that I really liked him from the get-go. Then I found out that he was one of the trawling boat captains whose fishing nets scrape up pieces of reef and wildlife from the waters destroying this beautiful aquatic ecosystem. Trying to put those feelings aside, however, I saw his genuine happiness when explaining that the community had improved so much since he last saw Claudio. I began to feel his frustrations when he complained that he could not support his family because his fishing nets were ripped up by wooden sticks placed in the water by artesanales to mark off fishing zones. When his employers pay his wages conditionally on the fulfillment of strong daily quotas, these nets are really his only choice. And, when this region of Guatemala lacks the credit and banking systems needed to provide loans for him to purchase his own boat, these employers are also his only choice.

The next day, Claudio and I met members of the local community development organization, FUNDAECO, that MAR Fund hopes to work with in the coming years. Their leader, Cleopatra, took us to the fishing community of San Juan to introduce us to some of the artesanales fisherman that she has been working with recently. When asked about conditions in their waters, the community leader, Norberto, claimed that 25 years ago when he arrived there were plenty of fish, but now there are none. He also claimed that, because the trawling boats only come out in the cover of night when monitoring is impossible, they have been able cross over into his territory without consequence. But when asked what he thinks the solution could be, his statement that “all we are asking for is for them to leave the whole bay to us” demonstrates that the MAR Fund needs to be there to help reign in expectations on both sides.

As I thought about possible solutions to this apparent trade-off between social values and economic progress, the economics major in me bounced around ideas that the artesanales should try to move on to another more viable trade. There was even some evidence that they have been trying to do so. But, then on the way back to our boat, I asked some of the villagers more or less my own age what they did in their free time when they weren’t fishing, and after ten seconds of awkward pause, they said “fishing”. I realized that fishing is not just an income for them but a way of life.

When I was speaking with these trawling and artesanales fisherman face to face, I could see very clearly just how essential MAR Fund’s technical and best practices assistance will be for FUNDAECO and the entire community in the coming years. Most donors will never be able to visit this wonderful community, but GlobalGiving hopes to connect you directly to projects like this around the world in unique ways so that you can see the impact your donations are making on communities in need.

Empowering Fishing Communities in the MAR Reef

María José González — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:28:10 GMT

The project developers organizing the monitoring activities.

After all the necessary paperwork with the project developers in the protected areas in both Mexico and Honduras, our two community marine reserve pilot projects have finally kicked off.

In Puerto Morelos, México, the Fishing Cooperative, has started the reef monitoring with the assessment of the National Park Administration and the NGO Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI).

So far, the Cooperative has completed one full monitoring phase that had the following methodology: they selected 13 strategic monitoring sites within the protected area. In these monitoring sites they set up transects to measure the following indicators: number of fish and fish species, number of reefs and reefs species, number of invertebrates and invertebrates species, type of sediments, and bottom structure.

They organized themselves in working teams, so that they all got to monitor every indicator in each phase at least twice. This will allow them to develop their monitoring skills and learn more about the ecosystem they fish.

After concluding this first monitoring phase and analyzing the results of the existent biodiversity and reef health, the fishermen have selected two potential “no take zones” within the protected area.

The three communities within the Wildlife Refuge of Cuero y Salado project in Honduras, will initiate with their activities soon, with the administrative support of the Cayos Cochinos Foundation.

We are very excited about the results that these two projects will obtain for their fishing communities and the coastal and marine protected areas, as well as for the conservation and sustainable use of their fisheries resources. We are sure that more fishing groups will join the community marine reserve initiative motivated by these first two.

We are still working on the assessment of establishing fisheries co-management mechanisms and no take zones with other groups of fishermen that are very interested in these initiatives and that have been identified in the other two countries of the Mesoamerican reef. The funding that is being raised through Global Giving and other donors will go to supporting these fishermen's projects.

The Puerto Morelos Cooperative preparing its scuba gear.

Sub aquatic material used by the monitoring team.

Update from the field.

María José González — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:35:33 GMT

After three successful workshops, where expectations were exceeded in almost every way, the results started showing almost immediately.

In Puerto Morelos, México, the Fishing Cooperative, has been working with the National Park Administration designating no take zones. This will be one of the two community marine reserve pilot projects that the MAR Fund will develop this year, thanks to your generous support and that of AVINA Foundation.

In addition, three fishing communities sharing the same fishing grounds in a coastal-marine protected area of Honduras will initiate work towards establishing a community marine reserve. The marine protected area is the Wildlife Refuge of Cuero y Salado, and the communities located there are: Salado Barra, Boca Cerrada and La Rosita. The first two of these are located inside the marine protected area and the last one is outside the refuge boundaries.

We are very excited about the awareness that the first three workshops generated in fishing communities and the coastal and marine protected areas, and we are sure that more fishing groups will join the community marine reserve initiative. The funding that is being raised through Global Giving and other donors will go to supporting these two and other fishermen's projects in the four countries of the Mesoamerican Reef.

The last workshop took place in Punta Gorda, Belize, on august 25-27, 2008. Thirty-one people participated in this workshop; five groups of fishermen were represented. These were Placencia, Punta Gorda, Riversdale, Monkey River and Hopkins. Other participants included the Environmental Defense Fund, the Fisheries Department, and several NGO’s.

The methodology was the same as in the first three workshops, and the fishermen were also very interested in participating in this type of co-management mechanism.

We look forward to supporting other groups of fishermen in the process of establishing fisheries co-management mechanisms and no take zones and to keep you posted on our advances.

Fisheries workshops in Guatemala and Honduras

María José González — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:43:19 GMT

To learn about the possibility of establishing community marine reserves in the MAR region, the MAR Fund developed three diagnostic studies. These included an evaluation of the fishing organizations and the needs of fishing communities and the legal frameworks in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras regarding community participation in the management of fisheries. The studies can be obtained from the MAR Fund website (www.marfund.org).

Two informative/training workshops on community participation in fisheries management have been organized this year: one in Livingston, Guatemala and one in La Ceiba, Honduras.

Forty-nine people participated in the Guatemalan workshop, exceeding the initial expectations. Thirteen groups of fishermen were represented, all belonging to the Network of Caribbean Fishermen of Guatemala. There was a large participation of women fishers. The Chair and Coordinator of the Network are both women and they have done an amazing job of bringing fishermen in the Caribbean region of Guatemala together around common interest topics.

Other participants included the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the National Council for Protected Areas, the Fisheries authority, and several NGO’s and programs. Also present were donors that have been supporting local conservation activities including sustainable fisheries.

As a result of the workshop, the fishing community of San Francisco del Mar, from the Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge, have had several discussions on the possibility of establishing a community marine reserve to protect a shallow coral area within their traditional fishing grounds. We are very excited about this development, and have met with the fishing group to discuss possible next steps. The funding that is being raised through Global Giving and other donors will go to supporting this and other fishermen's projects in the four countries of the Mesoamerican Reef.

A total of 48 people participated in the Honduras workshop, including nine groups of fishermen. We are looking forward to hearing about their projects for participating in the management of their fisheries and their fishing grounds.

Workshop on Community Marine Reserves in Mexico

María José González — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:03:44 GMT

As part of the activities to support fishers in the Mesoamerican Reef, the first in a series of four workshops on ecosystem-based management of fisheries and community marine reserves was offered from 3 to 6 December, 2007. This first workshop took place in Puerto Morelos, Mexico.

The workshop was designed and organized jointly with the Mexican NGO Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI). Participants included representatives from six fishing cooperatives, fishing and protected area authorities, academia, and local and international NGOs. The activities involved initial exercises to design networks of community marine reserves (similar to no-take zones) in the cooperatives' fishing concessions.

Participants were very pleased with the information that was provided and with the results of the exercises. They committed to taking the information to the rest of the cooperative members for follow-up.

The remaining three workshops will be organized, also with COBI, in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras throught the first semester of 2008.