Social media as a lever for restoring coastal marine habitats in fishing communities (IKI Small Grants)

The Bay Islands National Marine Park is a crucial wetland ecosystem, comprising mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. These natural resources are threatened by land-use changes, particularly for urbanisation. This IKI Small Grants project’s goal is to safeguard and restore vulnerable marine ecosystems. To do so, it uses various methods, such as awareness building, capacity development, and sustainable community development with a gender-sensitive approach. The project starts off with a survey on mangrove reforestation Afterwards, it promotes and demonstrates mangrove reforestation and seagrass restoration methods at a pilot scale. Another component focuses on livelihood development. Here the project introduces the processing of fish skin into leather. The value chain includes downstream processing and marketing. The project’s findings and recommendations should be able to apply to the entire Mesoamerican reef system especially in Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico.