Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS)

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) is a complex of marine ecosystems stretching over 1,000 km along the Caribbean, covering an approximate total area of 462,000 km². It is recognized as the second-largest barrier reef in the world and the largest transboundary reef, vital for the ecological and economic health of the entire South Atlantic region. It includes more than 500 fish species, 65 species of stony corals, 350 species of mollusks, and a variety of crustaceans. It is also home to one of the largest populations of manatees and whale sharks in the world, and four species of sea turtles nest on its beaches and swim in its waters.

The reef system acts as a massive nitrogen fixer, a carbon dioxide sink, detoxifies water and air, and performs essential ecosystem functions for coastal communities, such as protection from strong storms and support for commercial and local fisheries, as well as tourism. Moreover, more than two million people directly depend on the marine resources of this ecosystem for their survival.

The problems facing the ecosystem include habitat loss and overexploitation of marine resources due to unsustainable fishing practices, the construction of piers, and boat anchoring on the reefs, as well as climate change, which alters ocean patterns, causes coral bleaching, and intensifies natural phenomena like storms that destroy coral colonies.