MAR stands for the Mesoamerican Reef. Spanning 1000km of coastline along Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, it’s the second largest reef system in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef).

Why it’s an important place

Reefs are vital in the defense against storms and coastal erosion. They’re also home to many different species of coral and fish.

The MAR is home to the world’s largest population of manatees, mammoth whale sharks, several species of marine turtles and other amazing marine life.

What’s threatening MAR?

Climate change. Coastal development. Unregulated tourism. Pollution. Overfishing. It’s all affecting the MAR area right now.

Mid-term, it is just not going to cope with the impact of this kind of human activity.

The opportunity

Contiki supports the MAR Leadership program. The basic idea is to build a network of individuals who exchange ideas, co-operate together and make long-term professional relationships to support conservation projects in the MAR region. The aim is that each one of the Leaders will learn from and teach each other through personal experience and use the learnings in their own projects.