Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

[ ] 40 Integrated ridge-to-reef management of the Mesoamerican Reef The Mesoamerican Reef Ecoregion, shared by Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, includes the world’s largest transboundary barrier reef, spanning more than 1,000 km of coast and covering an area of 464,263 km 2 of ocean, coasts, and watersheds draining into the Caribbean. Globally important habitats and ecosystems make the ecoregion a biodiversity hotspot; it is considered one of richest ecoregions and most diverse coral reefs in the Western Atlantic, boasting cloud and tropical forests, large rivers, karstic hydrogeological systems, fertile lowlands, coastal wetlands, lagoons, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. The ecoregion provides livelihoods to communities, and contributes to the national economies of the four countries through agricultural commodities, shrimp aquaculture, commercial fishing, and a rapidly growing tourism sector, sustaining more than 12 million people. These landscapes face numerous threats: tourism and broader development are driving mangrove clearance, leading to sedimentation; overfishing and climate change are negatively affecting the health of the region’s coral ecosystems. The GEF-funded project, “Integrated Ridge to Reef Management of the Mesoamerican Reef,” helps Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico conserve their freshwater, coastal, and marine resources at a regional level. In addition, the project supports active engagement with private sector actors, including Coca Cola, to strengthen water funds. Through the project, improved management will be in place for 1,699,512ha of watersheds and 157,800ha of coastal and marine ecosystems. Shutterstock