Marine protected areas are helping the Mesoamerican Reef recover

An assessment of ecosystem health in the Mesoamerican Reef found that marine protected areas (MPAs) are aiding greatly in its recovery as coral cover slowly expanding. Coral cover in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR), which extends across 1,000 kilometers (over 620 miles) of the coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras and supports the local economies relied on by nearly two million people, is up 10 to 16 percent since 2006, a new report by the Healthy Reef Initiative says.