CEPF's investment in the Mesoamerica Biodiversity Hotspot was guided by the following strategic directions as outlined in the ecosystem profiles.

Northern Mesoamerica:

  1. Foster civil society participation in regional decision-making on select policies and investments to promote the conservation and sustainable development of the Selva Maya and the Selva Zoque and Chiapas/Guatemala Highlands corridors.
     
    • 1.1 Promote policy reforms that integrate biodiversity conservation in agriculture, infrastructure development, forest fires and tourism.
       
    • 1.2 Develop and strengthen collaborative networks that enable civil society to influence investments with corridor-wide impacts (such as Mundo Maya, PPP, CAFTA) and to foster coordination of current activities.
       
    • 1.3 Build and support action-oriented associations focused on conservation-based enterprises to identify and share lessons learned and to facilitate their growth.
       
    • 1.4 Promote the introduction and use of new sustainable conservation financing mechanisms, focusing on payments for environmental services. *CEPF will not provide funding for the actual payments, but will fund analysis and promotion of different models.
       
    • 1.5 Support corridor-level biological and environmental management monitoring relevant for understanding the state of biodiversity conservation for decision-making.
       
  2. Collaborate with other donor-funded projects to facilitate and operationalize successful conservation activities in Northern Mesoamerica's eight most important Key Biodiversity Areas.
     
    • 2.1 Increase coordination of key stakeholder groups to plan and implement initiatives in the eight priority Key Biodiversity Areas.
       
    • 2.2 Increase local government and nongovernmental organization capacity for forest fire prevention and control, enforcement of land tenure laws and the prevention of illegal hunting and timber harvesting.
       
    • 2.3 Build civil society capacity to support the mitigation of impacts of proposed infrastructure projects on biodiversity, focusing on roads and dams.
       
    • 2.4 Assess the adequacy of coverage of protected areas, and lay the groundwork for declaration of new private and public reserves.
       
  3. Support priority conservation actions in three priority Key Biodiversity Areas.
     
    • 3.1 Strengthen management of Sierra de las Minas in areas such as facilitating payments for watershed services, stakeholder coordination, and reduction in timber harvesting.
       
    • 3.2 Strengthen management of Laguna del Tigre in areas such as fire management, conflict resolution and economic alternatives to deforestation.
       
    • 3.3 Strengthen management of Chiquibul/Montañas Mayas in areas such as xate harvesting and the protection of the Macal River valley.
       
  4. Support efforts to prevent the extinction of Northern Mesoamerica’s 106 Critically Endangered species.
     
    • 4.1 Improve protection of Critically Endangered species through enhanced knowledge of their conservation needs, increased local capacity to conserve these species and investments in field conservation and protection projects.
       
    • 4.2 Increase coordination of efforts to improve the protection of critically endangered species through the exchange and consolidation of data and information.

Read more about CEPF's strategy in Northern Mesoamerica in our ecosystem profile (PDF - 1 MB), also available in Spanish (PDF - 1 MB).

Southern Mesoamerica:

  1. Strengthen key conservation alliances and networks within integral corridors.
     
    • 1.1 Support existing alliances such as the Talamanca/Osa/Bocas regional alliance, Osa alliance and Northern Costa Rica working alliance to further key common agendas in advocacy, communication and land tenure efforts through targeted civil society efforts.
       
    • 1.2 Create a coordinating group, led by the nongovernmental organization (NGO) community, that will guide conservation actions In the Cerro Silva-Indio Maiz-La Selva Corridor.
       
    • 1.3 Support a civil society effort to integrate and incorporate NGO concerns into CCAD and PPP efforts.
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  2. Connect critical areas through economic alternative.
     
    • 2.1 Support NGO efforts to evaluate modalities for establishing additional private conservation areas to integrate connectivity among key areas.
       
    • 2.2 Support civil society efforts and community efforts to establish best practices in coffee, cocoa and tourism in areas of potential connectivity.
       
  3. Promote awareness and conservation of flagship species.
     
    • 3.1 Implement awareness programs focused on flagship species in order to improve public understanding of the value of biodiversity.
       
    • 3.2 In coordination with the United Nations Development Programme's Small Grants Program, establish an emergency fund to support projects that will help protect critically endangered species.
       
  4. Support improved management of key protected areas.
     
    • 4.1 Support civil society efforts to create participatory management plans in target areas and provide opportunities for civil society to participate in government led planning processes.
       
    • 4.2 Support civil society efforts to establish the Maquenque National Park in northern Costa Rica.
       
    • 4.3 Support civil society efforts to establish protected areas within the Ngobe-Bugle indigenous territory.
       
    • 4.4 Support efforts by the NGO and private sector community to provide financial incentives for private reserves and conservation set-asides.
       
    • 4.5 Support targeted civil society efforts to implement discreet elements of existing management plans.
       
  5. Reinforce and sustain the conservation gains achieved as a result of the initial 5-year CEPF investment in this region.
     
    • 5.1 Support civil society participation in development planning and implementation, focusing particularly on infrastructure projects in southeast Nicaragua and La Amistad in Panama.
       
    • 5.2 Strengthen local governance structures and management capacity in critical areas, focusing primarily on indigenous reserves along the Caribbean.
       
    • 5.3 Build local capacity within the civil society sector.
       
    • 5.4 Support the establishment of sustainable financing mechanisms.

Read more about CEPF's strategy in Southern Mesoamerica in our ecosystem profile (PDF - 747 KB), also available in Spanish (PDF - 753 KB).