This Eco-Audit evaluates efforts to protect and sustainably manage
the region's coral reefs; celebrates management success stories; and documents the extent to which recommended
management actions have been implemented in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Inquiries
Downloads
Licensed under Creative Commons
The Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) provides a diverse array of goods and services to the people of Belize, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Mexico. It is our shared heritage. Unfortunately, the health of the reef is declining, as documented by
the 2008 and 2010 Report Cards published by the Healthy Reefs Initiative. The decline stems, at least in part, from
inadequate management of threats to coral reefs. This Eco-Audit evaluates our efforts to protect and sustainably manage
the region's coral reefs; celebrates management success stories; and documents the extent to which recommended
management actions have been implemented in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. It seeks to catalyze faster,
more effective management responses and to increase accountability within the public and private sectors and
among nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
An Innovative, Rigorous Process
The Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI), in collaboration with the World Resources
Institute (WRI) and local partners, developed and implemented this first-ever
multinational Eco-Audit of the Mesoamerican Reef Countries.
Evaluation criteria are comprehensive and inclusive.
Twenty-two standardized management indicators were developed across seven
themes, such as fisheries management and coastal zone management.1 The
Eco-Audit draws on input from a variety of NGOs, governmental agencies,
and the private sector, and includes transparently verified and publicly
available results. In September and October 2011, HRI and WRI convened
four national workshops, whose purpose was for participants to collectively
rank each indicator and to compile documents to verify the rankings.
Analysis is objective, science-based, and validated.
HRI and its regional partners are committed to maintaining audit standards
that are unbiased, fact-based, transparent, and replicable. The financial and
management auditing firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers Costa Rica (PwC)2
reviewed the methodology and provided feedback on the processes, indicators,
and quality of the verification documentation.
Data quality will be enhanced over time.
This first Eco-Audit establishes a baseline regarding the status of reef ecosystem
management efforts. The results are intended to guide data collection and
compilation for future Eco-Audits, which will occur every two years. These
biennial Eco-Audits and the biennial HRI Reef Report Cards will occur in
alternating years, thereby providing a routine accounting of reef health and
efforts to improve it. As data collection becomes more complete and the
database grows, we anticipate that the Eco-Audit will evolve, becoming more
quantitative and comprehensive in its evaluation of management efforts.
Slideshow
2011 Eco-Audit of Mesoamerica Reef Countries View more presentations from World Resources Institute (WRI)
Wri.org