MESOAMERICAN REGION

The Mesoamerican Region (MAR) has the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere and some of the last healthy populations of Caribbean staghorn and elkhorn corals. The MAR’s coral reefs face signi cant threats including climate change, HIGHLIGHTS land-based sources of pollution and unsustainable shing. 2005 CORAL begins working in the MAR with a 2005 focusCORAL on begins Roatán, working in the MAR with a The Coral Reef Alliance’s (CORAL) vision is for 35 percent of the MAR’s coral reefs to be focus on Roatán, Honduras 2006 Roatán Marine Park begins conducting included in a Mesoamerican ADAPTIVE REEFSCAPE – a network of healthy reefs that 2006 Roatpatrolsán Marineand installing Park mooringsbegins conducting in the Sandy Bay can adapt to climate change because it is diverse, connected and large. The reefs of the patrolsWest End and MPA installing with support moorings from in CORAL the Sandy Bay West End MPA with support from CORAL southern MAR (Honduras and ) have the least developed management A new sewage treatment plant is installed 2011 A new sewage treatment plant is installed systems in the region. Our work in Honduras lls a substantial gap in the spatial in West End, Roatán thanks to the support of coverage of effective reef protection. The Mesoamerican Adaptive Reefscape can serve CORAL and its partners as a replicable model for coral reef conservation globally. 2012 Cordelia Banks, Roatán is declared a site of wildlife importance by the Honduran government CORAL has more than a decade of experience working in the MAR, with an emphasis on government establishing a network of effectively managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in 2013 CORAL establishes the Geotourism Council to encourage private tourism operators to adopt Honduras. CORAL’s work in the MAR focuses on our Clean Water for Reefs, Healthy more sustainable practices (e.g. reducing the use Fisheries for Reefs, Intact Reef Ecosystems and Science of Adaptation Initiatives. of plastic bags) 2014 TelaTela BayBay isis declareddeclared aa sitesite ofof wildlifewildlife importanceimportance byby thethe HonduranHonduran governmentgovernment 2015 Roatán Marine Park achieves nancial 2015 Roatán Marine Park achieves nancial independenceindependence inin managingmanaging MPAsMPAs alongalong thethe westwest endend ofof RoatánRoatán 2017 CORAL helps establish the rst coastal 2017 CORAL helps establish the rst coastal managed-access shery in Honduras in Laguna de Los Micos, Tela Bay CORAL.ORG Laguna de Los Micos, Tela Bay OUR WORK MAKES A DIFFERENCE CORAL HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE MESOAMERICAN REGION (MAR) FOR OVER A DECADE. We work in THREE PRIORITY SITES in infrastructure across all of Honduras’ coastal Honduras (Roatán, Utila and Tela Bay), which municipalities. form the cornerstone of a Southern Mesoamerican Adaptive Reefscape. Our next Through our Healthy Fisheries for Reefs and steps are to expand to additional sites in Intact Reef Ecosystems Initiatives, we have MEASURABLE RESULTS Honduras (Trujillo, Guanaja and Omoa) and improved management systems for ve Marine Guatemala. Protected Areas in our core sites of Roatán, The 2015 Healthy Reefs Initiative Utila and Tela Bay. We ensure that Report Card reported that Our Clean Water for Reefs Initiative in management plans include actions to reduce herbivorous and commercial Honduras has resulted in measurable shing pressure, especially for herbivorous sh biomass was improvements to coastal water quality and has shes that control macroalgal growth and set the stage for addressing wastewater maintain healthy corals. We also address the signi cantly improved in pollution across the southern MAR. Thanks to underlying social and economic drivers of Marine Protected Areas our efforts with partners in West End, Roatán, over shing and create win-wins for that are regularly patrolled by over 23 million gallons of sewage per year are communities and the environment by Roatán Marine Park. now being treated, which has resulted in a 30 promoting alternative livelihood projects. In percent reduction in Enterococcus bacteria 2017, Honduras’ rst coastal managed-access since 2013. We are currently collaborating with shery was established in Laguna de Los the Inter-American Development Bank to Micos, creating an important model for update and improve wastewater treatment sheries reform in the southern MAR.

BELIZE

UNITING COMMUNITIES TO SAVE CORAL REEFS ROATÁN TELA BAY

UTILA CORAL.ORG GUATEMALA HONDURAS