From February 24 to 26, international leaders and investors convened in Mérida, Yucatán, for the Impact Investment Forum (FLII) 2026, positioning the city at the forefront of conversations on capital with purpose. MAR+Invest solidified its role as a regional bridge between conservation and strategic capital, positioning the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) as a natural wonder, but most importantly, as a world-class asset for structured investment.
In an ecosystem where traditional commercial models often fall short, MAR+Invest is an initiative that demonstrates safeguarding the Western Hemisphere’s largest reef requires innovative thinking. Through high-level panels, its partners led key conversations shaping the future of impact finance.
“Through VIWALA, we drive innovative solutions for SMEs that generate a positive impact in the MAR. Impact-linked loans are a fundamental part of the solution.” — Karla Gallardo (Viwala)
Our Strategic Agenda at FLII (led by partners of the initiative):
- PANEL: Innovating Instruments to Scale Impact Investing – Karla Gallardo.
- FLII TALK: Brave Capital: Impact Linked Loans to Scale Impact – Karla Gallardo.
- PANEL: From Extraction to Regeneration: Financing the Transition to Ocean-positive Economies – Amy Jones (MAR Fund) and Mariana Madero (New Ventures).
The MAR sustains livelihoods, food security, and tourism across Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. Yet, it faces accelerating threats from untreated wastewater, overfishing and climate change.
To address these challenges, MAR+Invest, an initiative led by the Mesoamerican Reef Fund, is building a pipeline of ventures that link reef conservation with blue economic activity across the region. These enterprises—ranging from wastewater solutions to sustainable fisheries and ecotourism—represent critical opportunities to help protect the reef while strengthening local economies.
However, many of these ventures struggle to access traditional financing. As Amy highlighted:
“The majority of the ventures we’re finding don’t fit the traditional commercial model—and that’s exactly why they struggle to access financial markets. We’ve come to understand that we need to create new, innovative financial models to bridge the gap.”
This vision is echoed by Mariana, who emphasized: We are working to design innovative financial frameworks together with the Inter-American Development Bank and the Blue Economy Ministry in Belize. The strategy focuses on results-based finance, where payments are, at least partly -contingent on achieving pre-defined social or environmental outcomes, rather than simply delivering inputs. This approach helps governments and other stakeholders mobilize and leverage private capital for conservation. In Belize, we are applying this model to blue biodiversity, particularly supporting the protection and restoration of coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass ecosystems.
Central to this, is the belief that final beneficiaries must be active co-designers of the tools they use:
“Another key element is the meaningful involvement of local communities and stakeholders in the design of financing mechanisms. During the discussions, we heard conversations from entrepreneurs and community representatives who often feel excluded from the design process, only to face barriers when these mechanisms are eventually implemented. It is essential that these instruments are co-designed with local stakeholders from the outset, ensuring that the final product truly responds to their realities and ultimately benefits them”.
Action in Motion: The Clean Water Fund
A flagship example of this approach is the Clean Water Fund. This impact-linked financing mechanism incentivizes hotel sector and construction companies in the MAR region to install and operate advanced water treatment technologies. By linking financial benefits directly to verifiable environmental performance, MAR+Invest creates a compelling business case for protecting the reef from its most pressing threats.
Empowering the Blue Economy: Entrepreneurs at the Forefront
FLII 2026 also provided a space for ALIS Bio and Sargazo Sandals, winners of the recent Call for Referrals launched by MAR+Invest. These entrepreneurs connected directly with the impact ecosystem, refining their value propositions and proving that sustainable, reef-positive enterprises are viable and scalable.
A Powerhouse Initiative for the MAR
MAR+Invest is a blended finance mechanism with strong monitoring and evaluation of impacts, business acceleration and a capacity building program that aims to enable conditions for a sustainable ocean-based economy in the MAR. It mobilizes private capital for businesses that generate positive impact on the Mesoamerican Reef and its coastal communities fostering innovative solutions and reducing investment risks.
Launched in 2022 with the support of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, is carried out by an alliance between the Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MAR Fund), Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN), Sureste Sostenible, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People (HRHP), New Ventures, and Viwala.
Through its participation at FLII 2026, MAR+Invest advanced its role in shaping the conservation finance agenda for the region, safeguarding the long-term resilience of the Mesoamerican Reef and the communities that depend on it.
Supporting market solutions today, for a resilient Mesoamerican Reef tomorrow.
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