Fundación Mundo Azul

Non profit organization

Like many other Latin American countries that share the Pacific and Caribbean coastline, Guatemala is experiencing a crisis of development and overfishing, exacerbated by the lack of opportunities, income alternatives and the scarcity of scientific knowledge about the true state of the different fishery resource populations, mainly chondrichthyans. Faced with this situation, Mundo Azul Foundation has initiated its efforts to generate scientific information that advances the level of knowledge about sharks, rays and other fisheries.

Our organization focuses on the generation of knowledge applied to the management and conservation of sharks, rays and chimaeras (chondrichthyans) at a national and regional level; the strengthening of the legal framework and its enforcement; as well as the contribution to the improvement of the quality of life of the coastal communities of the Pacific and Caribbean of Guatemala that depend on marine-coastal resources.

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Target populations:

Women

Men

Girls

Boys

Indigenous peoples

Animals

Entrepreneurs

Youth

Focus areas:

Education

Youth

Environment

Development/Community infrastructure

Agriculture

Leadership/Capacitation

Civil participitation and policy

Key service areas:

Guatemala (Guatemala City), Alta Verapaz, Izabal (Livingston), San Marcos (El Quetzalito), Santa Rosa (Las Lisas), Escuintla (Puerto de San José, Sipacate)

Organizational contacts & locations

Contacts

Elisa Areano

Executive Director

María de los Ángeles Rosales

Project Coordinator

Julio Sánchez

Applied Conservation Research Coordinator

Locations

Mission, vision & values

Mission

Contribute to the sustainability of marine-coastal resources and artisanal fisheries of Guatemala, the Eastern Pacific and Mesoamerica through the generation of relevant knowledge, public policy advocacy and the improvement of the quality of life of coastal communities.

Vision

A Guatemala, an Eastern Pacific and a Mesoamerican Caribbean that know, value and protect their coastal marine resources as a source of social, environmental and economic prosperity.

Values

We value respect

innovation

integrity

inclusion

participation and permanence.

Products, services, and programs

Services

Applied research for conservation, environmental education, community development and leadership, citizen awareness and public policy.

Organizational detail

Founded

2014

Number of employees

0-10

Funding

Private donations

Private grants

Primary issue(s) / need(s) addressed

Achieving sustainability in the world's artisanal and industrial fisheries is a shared challenge in which political will, legal and regulatory frameworks and the capacity for surveillance and compliance are indispensable. Each country has very particular biological, physiographic and socioeconomic characteristics, so the work of civil society organizations must focus on facilitating the conditions for fishermen, companies, government and academia to align efforts towards productive and sustainable fisheries.

The three main lines of work of Fundación Mundo Azul (FUNMZ) follow the logic of generating practical knowledge, influencing the legal framework and its enforcement, and contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of coastal communities through education, training, participatory community research, and the development of means to improve the quality of life of coastal communities, research and the development of alternative and sustainable livelihoods. The role of women and girls is of special importance to FUNMZ, recognizing them as leaders and agents of substantial change in their communities. Strengthening the self-management capacity and social and environmental sustainability of coastal communities that depend on fisheries for their livelihoods is a promising avenue for impact with potential for replication.

Impact, adaptations & objectives

Impact to date

During eight years of work, we have carried out 33 projects focused on the conservation of marine-coastal resources in Guatemala, directly benefiting more than 54,000 people. We have published 16 books for children and youth on environmental education and 7 scientific publications. Likewise, we have carried out 7 years of landings monitoring in the Caribbean and 6 years of monitoring in the Pacific of Guatemala. Finally, we have awarded 26 school scholarships to fishermen's children and received financial support from 24 donors.

Impact measuring

Fundación Mundo Azul (FUNMZ), prepares an Annual Operational Plan (POA), which contains the short-term planning, which allows to establish interventions in accordance with the three axes of work of the Foundation, Applied Research, Citizen Awareness and Environmental Education. In addition, an evaluation is made of FUNMZ's progress with respect to the goals set forth in the Strategic Plan. Likewise, impact indicators are used for each line of work.

Organizational adaptations

Size and/or structure

Target population

How you collaborate or work with others

Organizational adaptation details

Size and/or structure

FUNMZ is an organization formed by a multidisciplinary team. Since its inception, the number of staff has increased from 4 to 10 people and currently we have 8 volunteers and an international scientific advisor. Despite being a small organization we have achieved great goals that have impacted the conservation of chondrichthyans.

Target Population

In its beginnings FUNMZ started its first work in the Guatemalan Caribbean. Currently we have a local reach in the Pacific and Caribbean of Guatemala impacting nine coastal communities. We work with children, youth, fishermen, women, academia, public and private sector to contribute to the sustainability of coastal marine resources and artisanal fisheries in Guatemala.

How you collaborate or work with others

FUNMZ is an organization that has been able to capitalize on its work and strengthen it through collaboration with various sectors involved in the conservation and sustainable management of chondrichthyans, both nationally and internationally. Among these sectors are governmental, academic, as well as international groups linked to marine conservation, and we currently have 10 cooperation agreements at the local and regional level. The transparency with which FUNMZ works has provided credibility to work with more organizations.

Short term objectives

Growth

Encourage the participation and leadership of the communities that collaborate with FUNMZ to promote the conservation of fishery resources.

Quality

Continue to generate reliable data to analyze trends in chondrichthyan catches and determine population abundance to support population status annually.

Impact

Promote the conservation of Guatemalan fishery resources (Caribbean and Pacific), mainly sharks, rays and commercial fish, through the adoption of a better regulatory and public policy framework and the creation of public awareness.

Long term objectives

Crecimiento

Contribuir a la construcción de sociedades ambiental y socialmente responsables, por medio de la educación ambiental y el liderazgo, promoviendo la conservación y el uso sostenible de los recursos marino-costeros a largo plazo, especialmente de las especies de interés con valor comercial y los ecosistemas de los cuales dependen.

Calidad

Generar información científica que avance el nivel de conocimiento actual de los tiburones, rayas y otras pesquerías para incidir en la toma de decisiones, a diferentes niveles en todos los sectores, fortaleciendo las acciones de conservación y manejo a mediano y largo plazo.

Impacto

Consolidar a FUNMZ como la institución líder y de mayor impacto en la conservación de condrictios en la región.

Profile updated: 01/09/23

Fundación Mundo Azul