Empowering the Next Generation of MAR

Conservation Leaders

TULUM +20 MESOAMERICAN REEF SIDE EVENT

December 5, 2016

Mesoamerican Reef Leadership Program

María Eugenia Arreola

• Born in Belize City; grew up in

Sarteneja, Corozal District.

• Son of a local fisherman.

• Left his job as a fisherman to become

a tour guide.

• Leader in his community working to

secure people’s welfare.

• Became a dedicated conservationist.

• Coordinator of the Sarteneja Tour

Guide Association (STGA).

• Executive Director of Sarteneja

Alliance for Conservation and

Development (SACD)

Joel Verde

Melissa Alvarez

• Born in Guatemala City.

• Architect.

• At Ministry of Environment she

contributed in including

environmental themes in the National

Base Curriculum and helped in

formulating the Network of

Environmental Educators.

• Advisor at the Solid Waste

Management Department at the

Ministry of Environment.

• Lead of the revision and publication

of the National Policy for the Solid

Waste Management of Guatemala.

• 10 years implementing environmental

management systems.

• Corporate Director of Quality,

Sustainability and Social Responsibility

for the Palladium America (15 hotels in 4

countries).

• Earthcheck, Travelife, Socially

Responsible Company Certifications.

• Sustainability Committee of the Riviera

Maya, the Sea Turtle Committee of the

Municipality of Solidaridad and the

Social Responsibility Committee in

Quintana Roo.

Rebeca García

MAR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

The program seeks to accelerate conservation

impacts in the MAR Ecoregion by empowering

emerging leaders who are at the early/mid-career

level to launch high impact and replicable projects

that address present or emerging threats facing the

region’s coastal and marine ecosystems.

A Program to Scale-Up

Conservation Impact

through “Smart-

Investing” in People

Scale-Up

Conservation

Impacts

Thematic Focus

Guide for the

sustainable use of

mangrove and coastal

dunes in hotels.

Valuation of mangroves

services

System level planning and

collaboration for improved

resource management in

the Corozal Bay Wildlife

Sanctuary

Implementation of municipal

plans for Integrated Solid

Waste Management in

municipalities along the

Motagua River Basin.

Joel

2012 FellowMelissa

2014 FellowRebeca

2015 Fellow

S

Y

N

E

R

G

Y

MAR Leadership Program is an initiative of:

With the support from:

This is the next generation of true change agents

Thank you