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FOREWORD

With the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment reports, the relationship between

environmental health and human health has become increasingly clear. The urgent need to reinforce positive

feedback loops, along with the consequences of ecosystem decline for the planet as a whole, has come into

sharper focus. Coral reefs serve as eloquent metaphors of this relationship. As icons of biodiversity and

productivity ­ healthy reefs represent nature at is finest, beautiful to look at while at the same time providing

mankind with essential goods and services. But when under stress, as they are throughout much of their range,

coral reefs serve to warn us that fundamental changes are taking place in the relationship between human

populations and their environment. The signs are reversing and synergies are collapsing. Reading the signs

right can help us preserve the former and prevent a steady decline beyond the point of recovery (no return).

The Guide to Indicators of Reef Health and Social Well-being for the Mesoamerican Reef Region is thus a

timely and important tool in helping us to assess the nature of the coral reef-human ecosystem dynamic in one

of the major coral reef hot spots of the world. The MAR is a jewel in the Caribbean--it is colorful, multi-faceted,

vibrant yet fragile. We know from archaeological records that the livelihoods and well-being of indigenous

groups, such as the Maya, were intricately linked to the natural bounty of this system of coral reefs, lagoons,

seagrass beds and mangroves. Since pre-Colombian times, the economies of the region and its population

have grown exponentially, putting increasing pressure on the MAR. Maintaining the ecological integrity of the

MAR and the flow of benefits to the 1.5 million people who depend on it will require a new awareness of what

was apparent to the ancient inhabitants of the region--that humans are part of a larger living system, that to

defile it is to put one's own survival at risk.

With the Guide, we now have a set of indicators to measure and communicate more effectively to stakeholders

the overall state of health of the Mesoamerican Reef ecosystem, how coral reef health is affected by human

activities, the implications of declines in reef health for the health and well-being of surrounding communities

and the wider region, and management actions needed to maintain or restore key aspects of ecosystem health

to levels consistent with sustainability of the MAR.

A major asset of this guide is the selection of indicators that are both technically relevant and also resonate

with those most affected by, as well as those who most influence, the state of MAR ecosystem health. Moving

beyond the conventional metrics of biological and ecological health to include drivers of change, social and

economic status, human health and governance, this manual helps us make connections between ecosystem

processes and human actions which can be monitored, reported on and ultimately galvanize change.

Understanding these links is essential to reducing poverty and catalyzing the positive synergies between

environmental health and human welfare that are pre-conditions for sustainability.

Healthy Reefs for Healthy People is more than just a catchphrase. It is a principle that we must all embrace if

we are to succeed in safeguarding the MAR for present and future generations.

Marea Hatziolos

The World Bank

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