The Organization of American States and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) launched today Mesoamerica 2020, a conservation initiative that seeks to capitalize on the region’s most valuable natural resource: people. The objective of Mesoamerica 2020 is two-fold: 1) work with key actors at the individual, organizational and group levels to address the underlying human dimensions of species and ecosystem conservation at the landscape level and 2) strengthen the capacity of Mesoamerican individuals and institutions to be stewards of the land and secure a sustainable future. The overarching conservation goals are to reduce unsustainable land use activities, mitigate the impacts of extractive industries, and reduce threats to highly endangered wildlife and plant species.

Mesoamerica 2020 will partner with the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) to host a regional stakeholder meeting in August 2014 to bring together conservation practitioners from Mesoamerica to share lessons learned, promote the use of best practices, and to identify training needs for the region. The initiative has a seed fund for small grants to support projects that utilize best practices and address the region’s capacity development needs.

The launch ceremony was followed by an experts meeting where NGOs and OAS Member States shared the projects and activities currently in implementation in Mesoamerica. The discussion centered on lessons learned and key actions and gaps for biodiversity conservation in the region.