Coral reefs are very delicate environments that are currently becoming increasingly threatened all over the world, especially the mesoamerican barrier reef system, due to coastal developments, pollution & hurricanes. The federal government is undertaking an ambitious coral reef aquaculture program to restore the reef ecosystem, which, done alongside the preservation work conducted by local NGOs will be vital to the reefs sustainability as well as marine life it supports.
The only way to protect our reefs and corals in a sustainable way is to ensure that local communities are aware of the value that they add. Many local communities rely on the ocean for income via fishing or tourism and therefore it is to their benefit to protect their reefs. However many are unaware of the damage and threat that they face.
This project aims to increase its capacity building by running an outreach program to 100 local community members to gain their support in promoting initiatives that protect the ocean life and ecosystems which are so crucial to our planet and also to the livelihoods of local communities in the area.
Working with local partners, together we intend to identify, protect and preserve areas with high biodiversity, as well as those ones that are essential to maintain the ecological processes of the species. Restore areas of the reef that have been negatively impacted by placing coral nurseries and monitoring their evolution. Developing management plans for the region, to work on capacity building and environmental education with the locals to ensure the protection and survival of these ecosystems
