In early 2004, recognizing the need for a regional funding and coordination institution, representatives from conservation funds in each country of the MAR region (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico) initiated the Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MAR Fund).
MAR Fund is a private fund with a Board of Directors comprised of international collaborators, experts, the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), and the in-country funds from each of the Mesoamerican Reef countries – Protected Areas Conservation Trust (Belize), Fundación para la Conservación de los Recursos Naturales y Ambiente en Guatemala (FCG), Fundación Biósfera (Honduras), and Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (Mexico).
As an ecoregional organization, MAR Fund coordinates and prioritizes projects to ensure the strategic and efficient allocation of resources. Its goal is to establish itself as a reliable and transparent fund that promotes sound conservation policies for the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of the coastal ecosystems of the Mesoamerican Reef System.
The MAR Fund carries out its mission through six programs, as follows:
- Saving Our Protected Areas: A Legacy of Caring
Establishment and protection of an interconnected network of priority coastal and marine protected areas in the region. - Fishing for the Future: Sustainable Fisheries for a Thriving Reef
Community participation in co-management of their fisheries, establishment of fish replenishment zones, and monitoring and protection of fish spawning aggregations. - Climate Change: The Need Is Now
Supporting adaptation to climate change and its impacts on the reef. - Belize Marine Fund: Enhancing Marine Conservation
Enhancing marine conservation in Belize with the participation of local stakeholders, for wider regional benefit. - Clean Water for the Reef
Improving sewage and solid waste management for a healthier ecoregion and its people. - Blue and Regenerative Economy