5.What WWF is doing to conserve marine fishes


Almost since its founding in 1961, WWF has been involved in the conservation of marine fishes and their associated ecosystems around the world. Some of WWF's earliest field projects involved working with coastal communities to promote sustainable use of fisheries in developing countries like the Philippines, Mexico, and Haiti. WWF helped establish marine reserves including El Nido in the Philippines and Sian Ka'an on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to help counter the effects of destructive fishing with explosives and provide nursery areas for lobsters and other marine life.

Overfishing, habitat destruction, bycatch or incidental killing of non-targeted fish species, and pollution are the major threats to fisheries and marine habitats in all regions in which WWF works. WWF supports a variety of projects that address marine and coastal conservation issues. These involve fisheries management, integrated coastal zone management, marine protected areas, coastal community development, the creation of regional strategies for marine and coastal conservation, the prevention of marine pollution, and investigating illegal trade in marine species through the TRAFFIC Network.

The scale of WWF's activities in each of the regions varies and the following descriptions provide a brief overview of WWF's fisheries-related marine conservation work.


Latin America and the Caribbean

The marine conservation problems that beset Latin America and the Caribbean are vast and include every threat described above. WWF has chosen several focal countries in which to concentrate its activities. In the Greater Caribbean these are Mexico, Belize , El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Brazil.

WWF has been involved in conservation in the Greater Caribbean for more than 30 years. The region accounts for 13 per cent of the world's coral reefs, with many of its islands fringed by extensive underwater seagrass beds and mangrove forests. But development projects in the region threaten its fragile ecosystems and wildlife, and the local communities that rely on these natural resources for a living. In coastal regions, uncontrolled tourism is destroying key natural habitats. Poor waste treatment facilities from homes and hotels stunt, and sometimes kill coral reefs, causing beach erosion. Pollution is also threatening fisheries and tourism, the two most important foreign- exchange earners. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Caribbean Sea now ranks among the world's most polluted and endangered seas. In the Eastern Caribbean, unregulated sand mining has damaged coastal areas.

WWF's activities in the Greater Caribbean include helping set up the Hol Chan Marine Reserve in Belize, promoting sustainable fishing activities at the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve and a maritime protected area project at Les Arcadins in Haiti. In addition, to counter the effects of destructive fishing methods including dynamite fishing and the use of chemicals such as cyanide and bleach in collecting ornamental fish, WWF has launched a Coral Reef Conservation initiative throughout the Greater Caribbean region.

WWF was also closely involved in setting up the Miskito Cays Protected Area in Nicaragua - 1.3 million-hectares of coastline, lagoons, bays, and cays. WWF and other NGOs helped support the establishment of an indigenous community-based conservation organization, MIKUPIA (an acronym for Miskito heart). The Miskito Cays Protected Area Management Plan is being developed to create a community-supported and community-run protected area that will provide the Miskito people with diverse economic benefits.

WWF has a number of marine and coastal projects in Mexico, including the ongoing People-Centred Conservation and Development in the Yucatan Peninsula. The peninsula is comprised of two Biosphere Reserves, Calakmul and Sian Ka'an, the corridor of forest land between them, and the marine systems along the east coast of the peninsula. The greatest threat to Sian Ka'an is the expansion of tourism originating in the famous resort area of Cancun. WWF's partners in marine and coastal conservation in this project are the Amigos of Sian Ka'an and another NGO, GEMA. WWF has helped these groups to create a reserve that will include an environmental education programme, sustainable fisheries and agriculture practices, and environmentally-friendly ecotourism. A portion of the world's second largest coral reef also reaches into the peninsula.

WWF's efforts to establish a Nature Conservation Fund in Mexico have received wide support. The Fund hopes to attract assets of US$100 million and plans to address overfishing among other conservation problems.

Hispanic South America

In neighbouring Hispanic South America, WWF has marine and coastal projects in eight countries including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. One of the most challenging areas in which WWF has been working since 1987, is the Choco biogeographic region of Colombia. This entire region is under threat by large-scale development, including extension of existing roads, establishment of a new Pacific Coast port, dam construction, and industrial fishing operations. The project's main goal is to promote conservation and sustainable development of the Utria Sound National Park and its buffer zone by strengthening and facilitating greater participation of local communities in the development of the region. The project will help establish the necessary infrastructure, train personnel, and develop park management systems to promote the sustainable management of the park and its fisheries. This 54,300-hectare protected area is considered one of the highest conservation priorities for the Pacific coast of Latin America, one of the richest areas of biodiversity on the planet.

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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature