Eco-Audit of the Mesoamerican
Reef Countries
Are we doing all we can to safeguard our most valuable natural asset?
The Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) provides a diverse array of valuable goods and services to the people of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. The leaders of these four countries, officially recognized their shared vision and commitment to conserving the >1000 km of coral reef in the Tulum Declaration of 1997, followed by the 2007 declaration of March 10 as “Mesoamerican Reef Day”.
Since 2004 HRHP has periodically published Report Cards on the Health of the Mesoamerican Reef. These reports have described a mixture of declines and recovery in coral reef health, which stem in part from inadequate management of local threats. Since 2008, these Report Cards have included specific management recommendations.The purpose of the Eco-Audit is to evaluate the degree of implementation of these management actions in each country, catalyze faster, more effective management responses and to increase accountability within the public and private sectors, and among non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to safeguard our reefs for future generations.
What is an Eco-Audit?
The Mesoamerican Eco-Audit evaluates our collective efforts toward protecting and sustainably managing the region’s coral reefs, celebrates management success stories, and documents the extent to which recommended management actions have been implemented in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Healthy Reefs for Healthy People (HRHP), in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and local partners, developed this unprecedented multinational evaluation tool of reef stewardship in 2011.
The Eco-Audit is a systematic and transparent evaluation of the degree of implementation of 28 recommended reef management actions, grouped into seven general themes: Marine Protected Areas, Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management, Coastal Zone Management, Sanitation and Sewage Treatment, Research, Education and Awareness, Sustainability in the Private Sector, and Global Issues. The 2021 Eco-Audit is our fourth evaluation, enabling us to consider trends and rates of implementation in addition to the comparative scores for implementation by each country. Next 2025 Eco-Audit will be renewed with a system to track changes in real time as we progress towards the accomplishments needed to mitigate some of the most pressing threats we face.
How is it Scored?
The Eco-Audit is a systematic and transparent evaluation of the degree of implementation of 28 recommended reef management actions that were made in the 2008 and 2010 Report Cards in order to catalyze faster, more effective implementation of recommendations and to increase accountability within the public and private sectors, and among non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
This 2021 Eco-Audit is our fourth evaluation, enabling us to consider trends and rates of management progress. In addition to the comparative scores for implementation by each country, the Healthy Reefs Initiative recognizes the efforts, progress, and dedication of our >70 partner organizations throughout the region in our collective progress in protecting this valuable resource. We remain united and committed to safeguarding our Mesoamerican Reef and the communities it sustains.
What is the Overall Score for the Mesoamerican Region?
The Regional overall Eco-Audit score increased by 2% per year from 2011-2016 but slowed to 1% per year thereafter, despite our urgent calls in every Eco-Audit and Report Card to implement these needed management actions if we are serious about protecting the reef.
Belize again has the highest overall score (70%) with 8 indicators fully completed, but it also has the smallest increase (just 4% since 2011). This year, Honduras has achieved the second highest score (66% with a 12% increase overall). Mexico is close behind with the third highest score (64%), scoring a 10% increase since 2011. Guatemala maintains the lowest overall score (62%) but has recorded the largest overall progress (18%).
The Mesoamerican reef faces many rapidly intensifying threats, thus our protection measures also need to increase. The 2020 Mesoamerican Reef Report Card recorded our first decline in reef health in over a decade of monitoring, and the data were collected just before the new devastating stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) outbreak impacted the MAR. The reefs also experienced back-to-back coral bleaching events since 2015, and most reefs have also experienced continued declines in water quality from pollution.
Policies’ Achievements.
The Regional overall Eco-Audit score increased by 2% per year from 2011-2016 but slowed to 1% per year thereafter, despite our urgent calls in every Eco-Audit and Report Card to implement these needed management actions if we are serious about protecting the reef.
Belize again has the highest overall score (70%) with 8 indicators fully completed, but it also has the smallest increase (just 4% since 2011). This year, Honduras has achieved the second highest score (66% with a 12% increase overall). Mexico is close behind with the third highest score (64%), scoring a 10% increase since 2011. Guatemala maintains the lowest overall score (62%) but has recorded the largest overall progress (18%).
The Mesoamerican reef faces many rapidly intensifying threats, thus our protection measures also need to increase. The 2020 Mesoamerican Reef Report Card recorded our first decline in reef health in over a decade of monitoring, and the data were collected just before the new devastating stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) outbreak impacted the MAR. The reefs also experienced back-to-back coral bleaching events since 2015, and most reefs have also experienced continued declines in water quality from pollution.
Help us make
a difference
HRHP is a core technical team that supports the unique Healthy Reefs Initiative, which includes over 70 partner organizations devoted to safeguarding the Mesoamerican Reef. Join us in protecting this vital ecosystem.