Every two years, marine conservation groups do an eco-audit of the Mesoamerican Reef system. That includes Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, and this year's audit shows Belize still doing the best in the region, while others are fast improving on the list of 28 indicators. Here's a snapshot of the findings...
Dr. Melanie McField - Director, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People
"So, the 2014 Eco-Audit, the basic question and the purpose of it is just to answer the simple question: are we doing all we can to help the reef? We know that's the underlying intent of all of these groups, and it sounds really basic, but it's just a lot of detailed work behind it. The overall result is fair. So, our reef is better than fair; we deserve more than fair. But, it's not a bad - you know, we're not failing. We're not getting a D. We're getting a strong C. I don't know. I am not entirely happy, but I am happy about this one. This year, for the first time, we have fully implemented one of the management indicators. And that is, the percent of our territorial sea that's within marine protected areas. We have a target of 20%, and with Belize coming up to the plate this year, through the establishment of Turneffe. That increased our number to 20%, and we got it now."
Roberto Pott - Coordinator and Social Scientist, Healthy Reefs Initiative
"The good news is that Belize is still on top. We're still topping the region in terms of score. But, if you look at the scores in the eco-audit, it's just barely. Overall, Belize is just 3.2, and I think Mexico is 3.1, and as Melanie mentioned, they are hot on our heels, that they've been improving in a lot of the indicators."
The full report is available at healthyreefs.org.
