A combination of pollution, agricultural runoff, overfishing and climate change is undermining the health of the world's second longest barrier reef, which runs along the coast of Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. Since July, I've been working to support its conservation through my job with The Summit Foundation, a family philanthropy that contributes to a sustainable future by funding projects that work to protect the Mesoamerican Reef from further degradation. Not only does the reef support people whose livelihoods depend on fishing, but it is key to a thriving tourist industry.
George Washington University faculty helped me to secure a job as a program assistant at Summit, where I review grant proposals, write memos and other documents, and maintain on-going communication with grantees. Over the years, Summit has funded conservation projects operated by the World Wildlife Fund, Smithsonian Institution, Conservation International, and many small, local organizations.
As a sustainable tourism student, I’m particularly interested in public-private partnerships and learning more about how nonprofit organizations can work with tourism businesses as conservation allies. These collaborative arrangements are beneficial for everyone: they help to protect the coral reefs, which not only provide recreational opportunities for scuba divers and snorkelers, but also protect the shoreline from storms—a priceless service for the hotels and resorts that line the Caribbean beaches.
With Summit’s support, the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) was founded over a decade ago to engage the tourism sector in reef conservation practices. Since then, MARTI has helped to improve waste management practices and protect the reef from pollution, train marine recreation service providers on sustainability, and prevent reckless tourism development. Participating in discussions on MARTI’s next steps has been a particularly rewarding learning experience for me.
This deep dive into philanthropy and conservation at Summit has been a highlight of my experience in the Master of Tourism Administration program, and I’d highly recommend similar, practical learning opportunities to my fellow MTA students.
By Wendy Li, Master of Tourism Administration '17
Photo credit: Gustavo Vier
