Update December 2019

Grantee: Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative (HRI)

Progress to date:

• 286 sites throughout the region were monitored: in Mexico 99 sites, in Belize 101 sites, in Guatemala 10 sites and Honduras 76 sites. All data has been entered into the HRI-AGRRA online platform and analyzed. This information, as well as management recommendations, will be shared in the 2020 Report Card.

• HRI team participated in several national, regional and international meetings to share its work and advances in the management and health of the Mesoamerican Reef.

Ian Drysdale, HRI Honduras Coordinator at 5th Latin American Sanitation Conference. Photo: HRI

Ana Giró, HRI Guatemala Coordinator, in a meeting organized by UNEP to develop a regional strategy for conservation and restoration of coral reefs and associated habitats in the Wider Caribbean. Photo: HRI

• HRI is working closely with strategic partners within key organizations and continues to push for more conservation science and funding for management in the Cayman Crown reef and other important fish spawning aggregation areas. HRI is a partner and co-sponsor of MAR Fish, the recently awarded grant to MAR Fund from the French Fund for the Environment (FFEM, by its acronym in French).

• HRI is collaborating with the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA) to enhance public awareness about the importance of protecting parrotfish. Two fact sheets have been produced to highlight why they need to be protected, as well as other herbivore fishes. The factsheets also highlight coral reef ecosystems and their current threats.

Fact sheet about parrot fish importance. Photo: AIDA and HRI.

• In Mexico, HRI’s Coordinator participates actively in the Yucatán Peninsula, Solidaridad and Benito Juárez watershed and clean beaches committee’s meetings presenting the health of the reefs, the coral disease outbreak, and the direct link of these threats that impact water quality – thus the need for ratification of the Cartagena Convention’s Protocol for land-based pollution and tertiary waste water treatment plants.

• In Mexico, public awareness about the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) was raised through talks in public meetings and universities, addressed to key stakeholders as well as to municipal development, ecology and tourism authorities. An infographic on the issue was made produced with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP, by its acronym in Spanish) Cozumel, and several press releases were sent to local media outlets as a communication strategy.

Different activities were organized to raise public awareness about the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Photo: HRI

• Working to improve waste water management in Mexico, a fact sheet about Cartagena and NOM 001 was written in collaboration with HRI partners and sent to the new secretary for environment (SEMARNAT, by its acronym in Spanish) as well as to the new commissioners for natural protected areas (CONANP) and water (CONAGUA).

• In Mexico, the NOM-059 law was finally published on November 14th, 2019, one year late, however, it includes the 10 submitted parrotfish species and the star corals (Orbicella spp.).

Parrot fish. Photo: Brian Skerry/National Geographic

• HRI Mexico is actively organizing a strategic action plan to focus on the SCTLD outbreak affecting Quintana Roo. In collaboration with CONANP and fisheries department (INAPESCA), treatment trials have been deployed in Puerto Morelos and Cozumel. Results are not positive for brain corals, but trials seem to reduce the speed of affectation on the star corals (Orbicella spp.) and great star coral (Montastrea cavernosa) which are important reef building corals.

• A pilot study focused on reseeding king crabs was carried out in patch reefs within Cancun’s MPA, in the area known as Manchones. In collaboration with the Fisheries Department and MPA authorities in Mexico, 24 previously caught king crabs were introduced in the said area in order to follow their impact on macroalgae cover. After five months, a clear impact on the benthic community was observed with a decrease in turf algae and macroalgae followed by an increase in calcareous and crustose algae. After six months, the crabs were not able to be found, which ended the experiment. Nevertheless, those observations are promising and a second phase to this pilot study will soon begin.

• In Honduras, HRI’s direct involvement with the local West End water management entity, Polo’s Water Association, allowed a new portion of the community to be physically connected to the potable water piping system. Currently, there are another 71 connections being billed by Polo’s, and now they need to actively fundraise to design and build the needed sewage infrastructure for this area.

Grantee: Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW)

Progress to date:

• ELAW successfully completed the implementation of the project with the support of its partners in each country of the MAR: Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA), Alianza de Derecho Ambiental y Agua (ADA²⁾ and Laura Palmese.
• To reduce impacts of coastal development projects by enforcing EIA rules in Quintana Roo, Mexico, CEMDA requested public consultation in 248 projects submitted in Quintana Roo – all of the projects which had the potential to impact the coastline, mangroves, corals, and seagrasses, and projects located in protected areas and Ramsar sites. CEMDA provided technical expertise and recommendations on 83 of the projects proposed, and most of those projects were not approved.
• CEMDA amplified citizens’ voices in decisions about tourist developments and helping to stop some of the worst proposed projects. Citizens lodge complaints with the federal environmental prosecutor’s office (PROFEPA), and PROFEPA is legally bound to follow up on those complaints.

Participants of the training courses “Access to information and citizen participation” and “Right to a healthy environment”. Photo: CEMDA/ELAW

• ADA2 supported the Mancomunidad of Izabal, integrated by the municipal leaders in Puerto Barrios, Los Amates and Morales, on the following activities:
  • Finalizing a new model regulation for integrated management of solid waste, which was subsequently approved by the Mancomunidad.
  • Incorporating the coordinators of the water offices from each of the three municipalities into the Mancomunidad team
  • Awarding three small prizes to family businesses in Puerto Barrios for demonstrating good practices to reduce plastics
  • Between 70 and 80% of PET bottles are collected by recycling businesses as well as the 75% of the cardboard.

• Together with the Fisheries Department of Guatemala, ADA² developed two Apps. One will be used to simplify the process of reporting complaints to DIPESCA about illegal fishing and enable them to follow up easily. The other one is a web-based catch reporting tool for important fisheries in the Gulf of Honduras. This tool will enable fishers to upload catch data directly to the Fisheries Direction’s web server. Over the course of the project, over 100 fishers participated in designing and adjusting the apps.  Both apps are available and functional in DIPESCA servers.

Photo: ADA2/ELAW

• In Roatan, Honduras, Laura Palmese with the support of MAR Alliance, Roatan Marine Park and Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA), deployed ‘Drift Cards’ around the island to assess the origin of plastic waste reaching the shores. A total of 1369 drift cards were deployed and 139 were reported to be found within Roatan, Belize and Mexico.

Grantee: Comunidad y Biodiversidad A.C. (COBI)

Progress to date:

• Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) work plans were developed for three years (2017-2020) in collaboration with six fishing cooperatives (SCPP Pescadores de Vigía Chico, Cozumel, José María Azcorra, Pescadores de Banco Chinchorro, Andrés Quintana Roo, Langosteros del Caribe), CONAPESCA, INAPESCA, CONANP, ECOSUR and invited civil society organizations (Razonatura and Healthy Reefs Initiative).

Meeting to develop Fishery Improvement Projects work plans. Photo: COBI

• CCOBI completed the development of the costing application for marine reserves implementation and operation and now it is available as an open-source program. At the same time, COBI helped the Cozumel Cooperative prepare a proposal for direct funding from CONAPESCA. For the first time, three cooperatives invested US$1,000 each in 2018 and 2019 (US$6000 total) to cover the fishery monitoring with ECOSUR. This is the first time the cooperatives invest in this, and, in addition, the fishers provided lodging and food (for technicians) during the monitoring activities.

• COBI also analyzed all of their partners marine reserves in Mexico from a financial perspective. How much does each reserve costs and what options are available to finance them? The MAR network of marine reserves (15 reserves covering 178 km2) requires $1,021,764 pesos (US$53,000) per year to complete the biophysical monitoring.

How much does my marine reserve cost? Photo: COBI

• The 13 fish refuges that were up for their five-year renewal during the grant period have now been renewed. Each site was monitored by a group of fisher citizen scientists during 2017, 2018 and 2019.

• To scale up COBI experience with the sustainable lobster fishery, they organized a “training course for sustainable fishing and promoting fishery evaluation” for 30 people, including their staff, INAPESCA’s regional offices’ staff around the country, CONAPESCA and senators from the Senate Fisheries Commission. This has allowed COBI and the government to better implement standards in the MAR region, and in Mexico generally (by having the “in-house capacity”).

Training course for sustainable fishing and promoting fishery evaluation. Photo: COBI

Grantee: Centro de Estudios Marinos (CEM)

Progress to date:

• In order to establish four new Fish Replenishment Zones (FRZ) in the north coast of Honduras, socio-economic information was collected (type of vessel and fishing gear used, targeted catch species, number of fishermen involved in the activity, among others). Two field trips were made to socialize the respective results: one to the communities of the municipalities of Trujillo and Santa Fe, and the other to the communities of the municipality of Iriona.

Meetings at different municipalities to socialize socioeconomic results. Photo: CEM

• Perceptions analysis results about the state of marine resources and the governance of the FRZ of the Guanaja island were socialized with the members of the Guanajeña Commission and the Mayor of the Island.

Guanajeña commission and Mayor of Guanaja participating in the socialization of results. Photo: CEM

• CEM supported the Ocean’s Board of Directors with technical strengthening. It is integrated by the Merchant Marine’s directors, the General Directorate of Fisheries, the Naval Force, and the Forest Conservation Institute. This Board of Directors constitutes a high-level platform for marine governance.

Board of Directors of the Oceans. Photo: CEM

• A new, more fluid and innovative institutional web page with strategic and communicative messages on the operational and thematic CEM’s programs was developed. Visit link www.estudiosmarinos.org

Grantee: Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD)

Progress to date:

• SACD’s business arm was fully registered as “SACD Green Ltd” in September, 2019 and will serve as the umbrella for business mechanisms to be developed such as the Corozal Bay Eco Adventures tour operator. SACD is in process of licensing the tour operator.

• SACD has increased their full-time staff, on a full salary, from six to eight people.

• Patrols continue to be maintained at an average of three per week, targeting illegal activities and transboundary issues. During 2019, there was a 45% decrease in infraction compared to 2018; and transboundary incursions have been practically eliminated with zero records of incursions in CBWS from Mexican fishers during 2019.

Forest Department, Belize Coast Guard staff and SACD rangers during a marine patrol. Photo: SACD

• A Surveillance and Enforcement Plan was completed in August 2019 to improve and guide the patrol operations in 2020.

• Human resources supported by the project continue to be essential for maintaining the collection of field sample. SACD has been able to maintain the water quality monitoring, bird surveys and manatee drone surveys.

Water quality monitoring, bird survey and manatee drone surveys at Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS). Photo: SACD

Grantee: Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE)

Progress to date:

• Data acquired for conch and lobster will be made available for national science-based fisheries management plans that have yet to be developed by the Belize Fisheries Department using the Adaptive Management Framework (AMF) approach.

• TIDE developed four fishermen forums to discuss important topics, such as updates on managed access, market surveys, catch logbooks, and from TIDE’s Science Department, among others.

Participants at one of the four fishermen forums implemented. Photo: TIDE

• The information collected from Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) enabled the PHMR enforcement team to conduct targeted and strategic patrols within the marine reserve. SMART’s data shows where most of the fishing encounters are located in addition to the time of year various fishing activities occur.

• The house and property at Big Falls were renovated and are now being advertised on Airbnb.

Big Falls facilities advertise on Airbnb. Photo: Ximena Flamenco/MAR Fund

• The communication strategy was developed and approved by the Board and it is being implemented. As a part of the strategy, communication materials were purchased which are meant to increase TIDE’s visibility.

Different advertising materials developed. Photo: TIDE

Grantee: Southern Environmental Association (SEA)

Progress to date:

• SEA continues to outsource items from the same vendors for sale in the Gift shop (t-shirts, stuffed toys, croakies, bookmarks, key chains, among others). From April to September 2019, reported sales were up to US$3,805.

• To improve SEA’s and the protected areas visibility, SEA completed the mural at Placencia’s center near the football field.

Educational mural at Placencia’s center. Photo: SEA

• SEA is developing on the work plan to implement the activity of glass bottom kayak rentals. Once the work plan is approved by the Executive Director, it will be submitted to MAR Fund.

Innovative financial mechanisms, such as parametric insurance for reefs, can contribute to rapid post-event reef restoration and recovery. As part of the parametric insurance model for reef in the MAR, the following activities have been completed:

Preliminary Concept for the Parametric Insurance. In September 2019, The Nature Conservancy  started a consultancy on the “Development of a preliminary parametric insurance concept for seven sites in the SAM Region”, with the technical advice of Willis Tower Watson.

The study ended in December. The analysis includes:

1. Estimation of reefs areas with live coral cover within the selected sites;
2. Estimation of the funding needed to implement a post-storm response at each site;
3. Selection of the parameters (wind-speed at impact and maximum wind speed) that would trigger the insurance;
4. Development of policy scenarios;
5. Identification of the criteria to assess the benefits and disadvantages of the different scenarios to allow the potential buyer to choose the most appropriate concept.

Feasibility studies for the insurance model: Additionally, in September, the Financial Sustainability and Beneficiary Analysis studies for emergency response and parametric insurance for the MAR, were completed. The studies were developed by Willis Tower Watson (WTW) and co-financed by InsuResilience Fund (ISF), in support to the insurance model project.

Between August and October 2019, follow-up meetings were held in Roatan-Honduras, Izabal-Guatemala and San Pedro-Belize to build on their post-hurricane response capacity. The workshops were conducted in collaboration with members of the Technical Supervisory Committee of the Reef Rescue Initiative (RRI), the Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI) country coordinator, and The Nature Conservancy.

The main agreements of the meetings included:

In Honduras, the Forest Conservation Institute (ICF in Spanish) agreed to support the formation of at least two Response Coordinating Committees, one for the Bay Islands Marine Park, and one for the Cayos Cochinos Marine Monument. Both Committees will have the support of local institutions and organizations for organizing the emergency response brigades and coordinate the training.

In Guatemala the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP in Spanish) will lead the process to form a single Response Committee for the Caribbean region. In addition, CONAP will undertake and incorporate the Response Protocol and response actions in the management plans of both protected areas: Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge and Río Sarstún Multiple Use Area.

In Belize, a task force was formed to follow up and support on the formalization of the Response Coordinating Committee, organize the brigades and conduct the training next year. The task force will have the participation of the Belize Fisheries Department, the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, San Pedro Tourism Association and the Belize Tourism Industry Association.

A total of 57 people participated in the three workshops: 19 in Guatemala, 18 in Honduras, and 20 in Belize. Representing government agencies, municipalities, local non-governmental organizations, co-managers of protected areas, researchers, fishermen’s associations and the private sector.

Also, in order to implement and strengthen the emergency response capacities in the MAR, MAR Fund is building collaboration agreements with local authorities in each country, that will allow to have the necessary permits to create and train the brigades for their subsequent operation. In both Honduras and Guatemala, environment and protected area authorities offered follow-up to formalize a collaboration agreement with MAR Fund.

In October 2019, the Second Biennial Meeting of the Reef Restoration Network was held on Belize City to: a) discuss challenges and opportunities for the stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), b) exchange regional and international experiences on reef restoration, c) finalize and agree on the implementation of the Network’s Strategic Plan and d), conform the new Executive Committee 2020-2021.

More than 52 representatives from 35 organizations from the four MAR countries, USA and Dominican Republic participated in the meeting. Among them, the hotel sector (IBEROSTAR Group), the MAR2R project, the Coral Restoration Consortium, the Healthy Reefs Initiative, the Dominican Republic Reef Network, the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA), the Smithsonian Institute, the Coral Restoration Unit of the University of Hawaii, and the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute.

A new and updated website for the Network (www.coralmar.org) was created and is operational.

Participants to the Second Biennial Meeting of the Reef Restoration Network.  Belize City, October 2019.

In October, the Reef Rescue Initiative and the Belize Marine Fund, organized the one-day joint session, Mesoamerican Reef Health and Management: Responding to the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Crisis. The objective of the workshop was to discuss and share information on the current status of the SCTLD and its implications for Belize and the Mesoamerican Reef Region; and to identify required interventions for addressing SCTLD in Belize and the MAR. Over 60 participants and experts from the four countries of the MAR region, as well as the Dominican Republic and the U.S attended. This activity provided a beneficial learning exchange on the disease outbreak in the MAR and possible response strategies.

In August 2019, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the RRI had a meeting with the Directorate of the Fund for the Management of Protected Areas and Wildlife (FAPVS, in Spanish) of Honduras. The FAPVS showed interest in the Emergency Fund created by MAR Fund through RRI, and in possible coordination efforts for emergency care in coral reefs in Honduras.

• In September, the International Development Bank (BID, in Spanish) launched the Terms of Reference for the Reef Economic Assessment Study in the MAR prepared jointly with MAR Fund. The ultimate objective of this study is to provide governments and the private sector with clear information on the value of reefs to guide decision-making to invest in reef conservation and financial mechanisms, such as parametric insurance.
• In October, MAR Fund was invited to participate in the third call expressions of interest for InsuResilience Fund (ISF). For this, MAR Fund and WTW submitted a new version of the Project Concept “Development and implementation of a parametric reef insurance in the four countries of the Mesoamerican Reef”.

On November 7 and 8, the Technical Supervisory Committee conducted its seventh ordinary meeting. The main topics discussed included:

1. Review and update of the 2019 Work Plan and budget
2. Develop and review the 2020 Work Plan and schedule of key activities
3. Prepare final version Guidelines for the RRI Emergency Fund – Criteria and mechanism for channeling funds
4. Review and discuss communication activities
5. The Committee will reconvene again in March 2020 in Guatemala City.

Technical Supervisory Committee seventh ordinary meeting.  Guatemala City, November 2019. Photo: MAR Fund

11th Joint Request for Proposals (2018) – Reef Rescue Initiative

1. Roatan Marine Park Coral Restoration Project.

Grantee: Roatan Marine Park (RMP). Honduras

Progress to date:

• RMP sponsored a public event on April 26, 2019, to educate the Roatan dive community about the RMP Coral Restoration project and coral restoration in Roatan. The RMP Coral Restoration Project Manager, Tripp Funderburk, and Francis Lean, RMP Executive Director, spoke to approximately 35 attendees at Splash Inn.
• The purchase of 20 coral nursery trees and related supplies for constructing and maintaining coral nursery was through Reef Renewal, a coral restoration company. Materials arrived June 12, 2019.
• A draft of the Manual for Dive Shops that are participating in the RMP Coral Restoration Project was developed. The manual explains how Roatan dive shops will partake in the program along with information of the project background and about the certification course.
• On July 4, RMP provided the Coral Restoration Certification Presentation to eight staff members from Roatan Divers. The group, installed two coral trees, collected coral fragments from two genotypes, and installed corals in new coral nursery trees at Seaquest Deep dive site. Moreover, on July 11, RMP provided the same presentation to six staff members from Sun Diver shop and installed two more coral trees at the nursery site.

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Divers setting a coral nursery tree. Photo: RMP

2. Coral restoration in the reef habitat of Akumal (Arpea), Quintana Roo, Mexico

Grantee: Centro Ukana I Akumal, A.C. (CEA-AKUMAL). Mexico

Progress to date:

• The characterization of 80% of the projected reef area (5000 of 6000 m2) was performed.
• Four new reef patches were identified for intervention.
• Five new stabilization lines of Acropora cervicornis were established in coral nurseries.
• Five restoration areas were marked on the reef.
• Equipment was purchased for the installation of external control nurseries in INAPESCA, currently under construction.
• To date, four campaigns looking for coral fragments were carried out.
• Ten campaigns were implemented to plant fragments of coral to the reef, with the aim of repopulating two restoration sites with a total of 810 fragments, originated from nurseries of INAPESCA and CEA.
• After planting, three campaigns for monitoring and cleaning the fragments occurred, obtaining a survival of 87%.

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Diver planting corals. PHOTO: CEA-AKUMAL