DWS is proud to facilitate a multi-year marine conservation project of WWF (World Wild Fund For Nature) as a contribution to the protection of the oceans. In the Caribbean near Belize lies the second largest coral reef in the world – the largest in the Western Hemisphere. This Mesoamerican reef is home to a huge amount of biodiversity around the shimmering corals. The coast in Belize is also known for its mangrove forests. Unfortunately, nature there is also threatened by climate change and rising water temperatures. Human intervention, such as overfishing, also threatens the corals and marine life. With our support, WWF is now pursuing this holistic project since 2021 in order to, among other things, work with political decision-makers and local people to find measures for sustainable development in the region and gradually implement them. With this project, we are helping to mitigate climate change and promote a sustainable "blue economy" in the region.
Thanks to the support of DWS, eight coral breeding stations and 16 reforestation sites have now been created, where over 9,700 new corals were planted last year.
The goal of the project is to restore and protect both the coral reef and mangrove ecosystems so that they continue to provide sustainable livelihoods for local coastal communities.
All photos seen on this page are copyrighted.: © Antonio Busiello WWF-US