Inside the effort to save an iconic Caribbean coral reef

Stretching 1,000 km along the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the Mesoamerican Reef is an ecological marvel. The largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, it is a living, breathing world, home to dazzling biodiversity, including 60 varieties of coral. However, this vital ecosystem faces mounting threats from pollution and climate change, say experts.  

To counter those perils, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) have launched an ambitious drive to channel funding towards initiatives designed to preserve the reef. 

Through the Mesoamerican Reef Fund, the GFCR is providing technical advice and financing to 50 early-stage, reef-friendly businesses from countries in the region. The work spans 1.7 million hectares of coral reefs and is creating economic opportunities for 15,000 people. 

"Investing in local organizations with deep-rooted knowledge and experience in coral reef conservation is critical for protecting the Mesoamerican Reef and for achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” says Susan Gardner, Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division. “These local organizations are uniquely positioned because people benefit directly from healthy reefs. Healthy reefs mean more fish, providing families with better nutrition and higher incomes, fundamental for accessing healthcare, education and building resilience.”   

One of the projects the Mesoamerican Reef Fund supports focuses on raising juvenile king crabs and releasing them onto reefs to combat the overgrowth of macroalgae, which thrives due to rising ocean temperatures associated with climate change. Macroalgae crowd out corals, weakening reef ecosystems. King crabs, which are native to the area, have voracious algae appetites and can help control algae without harming coral. However, their low natural population density limits their impact. By increasing crab populations, this project aims to restore balance to the ecosystem, benefiting coral health and providing a sustainable income source for local fishers.  

To combat pollution, another major threat to corals, the Mesoamerican Reef Fund is helping the Royal Mayan Shrimp Farm in Belize become more sustainable, including by recycling its wastewater. Traditional shrimp farms often spew polluted water into the ocean and cut down mangrove forests, key coastal ecosystems. 

Meanwhile in Mexico, the Mesoamerican Reef Fund is supporting a company, CarbonWave, which turns a type of seaweed known as sargassum into raw materials for various products, including biofuels, animal feed, fertilizers, textiles and cosmetics. This prevents sargassum from smothering corals and wildlife or ending up in landfills where it decays, potentially polluting groundwater.  

One of the products CarbonWave has created from sargassum is Sarga Extra, an organic fertilizer. The product also reduces farmers’ use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, a chemical runoff that exacerbates sargassum blooms and can create ocean dead zones. 

Coral reefs, which cover less than 1 per cent of the ocean floor but support 25 per cent of all marine life, play a critical role in food security, coastal protection and livelihoods in climate-vulnerable regions. But in the last 15 years the world has lost 14 per cent of its coral reefs, some of which have existed for as much as 5,000 years. The die off has been driven by rising sea temperatures, pollution and unsustainable fishing practices. 

The Global Fund for Ciral Reefs (GFCR)

The Global Fund for Coral Reefs is a UN-backed multi-partner trust fund. It provides grants and loans to coral-reef-positive enterprises worldwide, supporting initiatives from ecotourism to sustainable aquaculture to seaweed farming. The GFCR’s goal is to support over 400 reef-positive businesses and create more than 30,000 jobs by 2030. Long term, the Mesoamerican Reef Fund is aiming to leverage US$60 million in private capital and enhance the resilience of over 3 million coastal residents. 

Each reef-positive enterprise in the GFCR’s pipeline addresses threats to reef health while supporting poverty alleviation and contributing to the financial sustainability of marine protected areas, safe havens for sea life.  

“The fund’s projects show that even modest investments in biodiversity conservation can unlock remarkable innovation and impact,” says UNEP’s Susan Gardner. “In the face of mounting threats to coral reefs, this multiplying effect is exactly what we need right now.” 

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This story was first published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).