In 2004, representatives of four private conservation funds in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras identified the need for a regional fund and coordinating institution to protect the Mesoamerican Reef System (MRS). They joined forces to create a strategic entity dedicated to mobilizing financing, building transnational alliances, and prioritizing high-impact projects.
Photo: Jorge Vaz
As an ecoregional body, MAR Fund coordinates and prioritizes projects to ensure a strategic and efficient distribution of resources. Its goal is to establish itself as a reliable and transparent fund that drives sound conservation policies for the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of the coastal ecosystems of the Mesoamerican Reef System.
This commitment is realized through its programs:
Photo: Judith Morales
Foto: Photo: Martin Leglize
MAR Fund seeks, secures, and facilitates regional financing, fosters alliances, and promotes capacity building for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems in the Mesoamerican Reef.
Healthy ecosystems in the Mesoamerican Reef, cared for and managed by committed societies and governments that foster a regenerative economy and support human well-being.
Map: MAR Fund
The Mesoamerican Reef System (MRS) includes the largest barrier reef in the Atlantic Ocean. It extends through the Caribbean territorial waters of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, and constitutes a critical ecosystem for biodiversity, climate resilience, and the livelihoods of approximately five million people living within 50 km of the coast.
Reefs are pillars of marine biodiversity and the ecological systems that sustain life on Earth. Their conservation is essential to ensure coastal protection, food security, sustainable tourism, and the preservation of cultural heritage.
This system acts as a species nursery, genetic library, natural storm barrier, sand generator, and source of health and economic well-being for millions of people, both in the region and globally.
Every program driven by MAR Fund strengthens this vital ecosystem, ensuring the Mesoamerican Reef remains a living treasure and a generator of benefits for the entire region.
Photo: Judith Morales
The value of the Mesoamerican Reef System transcends its economic contribution; this coral system offers goods and services of incalculable value. Conserving it means protecting the ecosystem services that support the local economy and that provide as a collective benefit:
Photo: TASA
Taller inicial de la 2ª. convocatoria
Del 1 al 3 de julio de 2025, se llevó a cabo en Ciudad de Guatemala el Taller Inicial para los proyectos seleccionados en la segunda convocatoria del proyecto «Protección de los Recursos Marítimos en América Central III (Fase III)”, una iniciativa financiada por la Cooperación Alemana a través del KfW, en el marco del programa Salvando Nuestras Áreas Protegidas de MAR Fund.
Durante tres días, 31 representantes técnicos y administrativos de 16 áreas protegidas marino costeras de México, Belice, Guatemala y Honduras se reunieron para fortalecer capacidades, intercambiar experiencias y alinear estrategias para una implementación efectiva y coordinada de sus proyectos.
También participaron organizaciones de sociedad civil que acompañarán la ejecución de estos proyectos.
