U.N., U.S.A.I.D. fund reef protection
Like the Belize-Guatemala border which has somehow been turned into an “adjacency line”, in recent years the Belize Barrier Reef has magically metamorphosed into the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. In both cases the prime mover behind the change in nomenclature has been the lure of international finance. Patrick Jones reports on the latest offshore injection of funds.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
The agreement signed this afternoon provides millions of dollars in funding for activities designed to promote the sustainable use of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. According to Managing Director of the International Coral Reef Action Network Kristian Teleki, the idea is to bring users together to share experience and expertise.
Kristian Teleki, Managing Director, ICRAN
“We’re looking at watershed management, which looks at going to engaged discussions with communities and farmers that work in the river basins that are above the coral reefs themselves, to perhaps look at ways in which we could improve the agricultural practices so that the sediments and pollution don’t actually run down unto the reefs themselves to affect the reefs.”
Teleki says the money will also be used to help the region’s fishermen learn, not only improved techniques, but also how to diversify their livelihood so they do not wholly dependent on the reef, thereby allowing its resources to recover. Minister of the Environment Johnny Briceño, applauded the efforts of the Mesoamerican Reef Alliance.
Johnny Briceño, Minister of Environment
“The health of this natural wonder, like the rest of the world’s coral reefs, is being threatened, threatened by over fishing, unregulated coastal development and unsustainable tourism, inappropriate land use, port and marine transport pollution, and climate change related phenomena. These threats have just began to impact seriously our costal economies in the region, particularly the fishing and tourism industries. The overall ecological health of the reef ecosystems has been compromised by these practices.”
It’s the reversal of these bad practices that Teleki says the alliance is undertaking over the next three years of the project.
Kristian Teleki
“These activities are going to be carried out on sites all the way from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras. And we’re also looking to engaging Nicaragua. Because Nicaragua, although its not part of the Mesoamerican reef itself, it still has the same sort of issues and they are sort of at early development compared to some places like Belize in terms of the tourism industry. So if we bring them into the region, they then can learn from the excellent work that’s being done here.”
Patrick Jones, for News 5.
Funding for the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Alliance amounts to three million U.S. dollars over the first three years of the project, with the United Nations Foundation and U.S.A.I.D. each contributing equal amounts.
