Help Local Leaders Save the Mesoamerican Reef

Dear Friends,

We hope you are having an excellent start to the year.

We are thrilled to share with you the latest news about the MAR Leadership Program (MAR-L). 

Network on Sustainable Fisheries in the Mesoamerican Reef region

MAR-L and MAR Fund organized a second meeting of the Network on Sustainable Fisheries in the Mesoamerican Reef region on November 26 and 27 in Cancun. The objectives of the meeting were to share the preliminary results of the mapping of actors, projects and initiatives related to fisheries in the MAR, identify strengths, threats and areas of opportunity to promote fisheries sustainability, design a medium-term regional strategy; define the mechanisms of governance, membership, and operation of the network.

MAR Fellows Ana (2011) and Angela (2011) were hired to carry out the mapping of actors, projects, and initiatives related to fisheries in the MAR and facilitate the workshop. The meeting was attended by 43 people from 38 organizations from the public, academic, and civil society from the four MAR countries. 12 MAR Fellows participated in the meeting and for of them are members of the network’s Executive Committee.

 2018 Fellows' Projects  

The Belizean team is implementing the project: Establishing the framework for a sustainable fishery based on community rights in Marine / Estuarine Wildlife Sanctuaries in Belize. The objective is to provide a model for the transition from a non-extractive Wildlife Sanctuary to a Wildlife Sanctuary (2), according to what is stipulated in the Law of the System of Protected Natural Areas, which guarantees the long-term sustainability of the fish populations and the protection of the rights of traditional users. Therefore, this project will develop a successful framework for a fishery based on the rights of the community with the active participation of local fishers through the re-designation of Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS), which can be replicated in other Wildlife Sanctuaries. A series of consultations with stakeholder communities have occurred. It has been confirmed that the proposed zones make 28.5% of the total area and includes seven (7) conservation zones, which were assigned with the input of fishers and key stakeholders. MAR Fellows have been supporting the process of developing a Sustainable Fisheries Plan, that is aimed to serve as the backbone of the statutory instrument that will govern the new designation of the protected area. MAR Leaders have identified important gaps that were not previously considered but need to be addressed for the success of the proposed project.

The Guatemala team is implementing the Project: Strengthening protection for

sharks in Guatemala, facilitating compliance with international agreements that regulate sustainable commercialization. This project aims at achieving the sustainable use of sharks that are currently commercialized in Guatemala and strengthening current efforts for their conservation. It will promote the proper control of their trade, through effective compliance with national protocols (National Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of the Sharks in Guatemala, and international protocols. The team has had an incredible six months since the training workshop in August 2018 in Puerto Morelos. They have implemented two workshops in Guatemala to install capacities in the visual identification of shark fins with governmental institutions, universities, and the private sector. Besides, they have created the first guide for five species of sharks listed in Appendix II, of CITES, this to give tools to institutions who are in charge of exportation. IUCN Shark Specialist Group invited two members of the team to a workshop of the Red List Evaluation for endemic and near-endemic species of sharks and rays of the Eastern Pacific from Mexico to Pacific Chile which was held last week in Colombia. The team is now preparing for a meeting on the 21st of February to create the interinstitutional table for sharks in Guatemala. By facilitating this dialogue, the group will be able to get feedback on the National Action Plan that the shark group is working jointly with the fisheries department.

The Honduran team is implementing the project: Improving the health of the reef through tourism-recreational services in Punta Gorda, Municipality of José Santos Guardiola, Roatan. This project seeks to establish a community-driven model of sustainable tourism promoting awareness and reasonable use of the reef ecosystem, working with the local municipality of Santo Guardiola, the tourism institute, and other entities involved. In the long term, it seeks to improve the health of the reef by decreasing illegal fishing and simultaneously increase the biomass of herbivorous fish. On November 9, 2018, representatives of the community and Roatan Marine Park held an event to launch the project which was attended by public-private institutions. The particiánts included the Governor and Deputy of the department of Islas de la Bahía, José Santos Guardiola municipality, Banca Solidario, the Director of the Chamber of Commerce, President of the Association of Fishermen, Representative of the Organized Women's Group, OPROME, Board of Trustees of Punta Gorda), Director of RMP, afterwards the words of the Governor Dino Silvestri, the Deputy Rom MacNab, and RMP Director Francis Lean.  An assessment of the current situation of the communities of Santa Elena and Punta Gorda is being developed, with the purpose of understanding the environment and the possible economic development alternatives for these communities. Once the results of the assessment are ready, training will take the place of inter-institutional working groups to search for cooperators interested in environmental protection and the sustainable development of communities.

The Mexican team is implementing the Project: Sustainable fisheries and sustainable tourism in Bahía Espiritu Santo as a local model of community development in the MAR. María Elena and Punta Herrero communities are located in Espiritu Santo Bay south of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. This project seeks to diversify the productive activities in María Elena and Punta Herrero communities in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve by decreasing their dependence on fishing activities and promoting responsible community tourism activities. As part of the project, they will strengthen the capacities and abilities of the community groups, encourage the participation of women under a social entrepreneurship model that generates empowerment, promotes value chains and increase tourist visits to the site. The team has requested to Quintana Roo state government to improve the road to the communities of María Elena and Punta Herrero minimizing environmental impacts. A communication and outreach campaign has been launched in social networks to promote tourism activities in both communities. A meeting with the fishermen's cooperative took place to authorize the tourist cooperative to receive a cabin on loan to provide lodging for tourists.

Thank you very much for your continuous support.

The MAR Leadership team