|  ICRAN,
one of the programmes hosted by UNEP-WCMC, has been awarded
'Best Environmental Initiative 2005' for its Mesoamerican
Reef Alliance project by Scuba Diver Magazine - the most widely
read magazine of its kind. This is a significant development
for this project involving several different partner organizations,
governments and many individuals.
The Mesoamerican Reef system stretches over 625 miles of
coastline spanning eastern coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala
and Honduras. It is the largest reef in the Western Hemisphere
and has been identified as a unique and globally important
coral reef ecosystem. The people living nearby depend very
much on the reef and the life it sustains for food and income.
Unfortunately it is under threat from both natural and human-induced
causes.
The International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) is a
collaborative effort working to halt and reverse the decline
in health of the world's coral reefs. The Mesoamerican Reef
Alliance is an ICRAN initiative which engages both private
and public sector partners in the promotion of environmentally
and economically sound management of the Mesoamerican Reef.
The UN Foundation has pledged $1.5 million to undertake activities
in the three project components of Watershed Management, Sustainable
Fisheries, and Sustainable Tourism. An additional $1.5 million
of funding from USAID will complement these effort as well
as providing resources to bring in new partners and expertise.
ICRAN and the Mesoamerican Reef Alliance work with many other
partner organisations and governments in the region to promote
the sustainable use of the reef. The partnership relies on
many individuals and organizations working together to improve
the chances for the future health of coral reefs. It also
relies on working with those companies and industry that are
benefiting from the region and investment in action which
will ensure the long-term future of their business activities
in this area.
For further information please contact:
Liza Karina Agudelo
Coordinator - Mesoamerican Reef Alliance
ICRAN-MAR Project
Tel:(501)223-4673
Fax:(501)223-4684
Coastal Resources Multicomplex Building,
Fisheries Department, Princess Margaret Drive, Belize City,
Belize
E-mail: lagudelo@icran.org
http://www.icranmar.org
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