Mesoamerica 2020: Partner-driven landscape conservation"

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Image credit: Chris Packham / WCS Guatemala.

Ranging from central Mexico to the Panama Canal, Mesoamerica possesses one of the richest concentrations of species and ecosystem diversity on Earth. With only 0.5% of the world’s land surface, Mesoamerica is home to more than 7 percent of the planet’s biodiversity, including spectacular species such as jaguars, tapirs, howler monkeys, quetzals and scarlet macaws.

Mesoamerica’s wildlife and ecosystems are threatened. Nearly half of the region’s natural habitats have been converted to agriculture or urban areas. High deforestation rates continue. But there is still hope for the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.

In June 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) teamed up with the Organization of American States (OAS) to launch the MESOAMERICA 2020 partnership. The goal is to ensure the conservation of the last remaining landscapes in the region while improving quality of life for people. Functional landscapes are important not only to protect wildlife and critical ecosystems, but also to protect water and food security, livelihoods, and sustainable economic growth.

Strategic Objectives

  • Promote healthy dialogue between government, the private sector and civil society to find resilient solutions for both natural ecosystems and human well-being.
  • Align policies and actions between entities charged with promoting food security, agriculture and ranching, economic development and trade, social welfare, and conservation of environment, protected areas, and wildlife.
  • Foster networks to facilitate regional learning and collaboration across sites to tackle pressing and complex conservation challenges.
  • Secure concrete, measureable protections for priority landscapes in Mesoamerica by 2020.

Costa Rica Meso-America Regional Meeting

Mesoamerica 2020 Launch and Experts Meeting

Mesoamerica 2020 Anniversary Event

Guatemala Meso-America Regional Meeting

Peten Guatemala