Mesoamerica is comprised of the seven countries in Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) and the five states of southeastern Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatan), with a total area of approximately 760,00 km km². This ecosystem profile focuses on the northern region of the Mesoamerica hotspot, which includes the areas of northwest Belize, north and central Guatemala and the southern Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatan. The geographical area under study extends from the Zoque Forest in Oaxaca to the Lacandona Forest in Chiapas and from the northern Yucatan in Calakmul and Cozumel Island down to the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, stretching to the Montañas Mayas in Belize with the Rio Bravo Reserve, before continuing along the Pacific down the Sierra Madre in Chiapas and El Triunfo as far as the Cuchumatanes and the Sierra de las Minas in Guatemala.
With less than one half percent of the land of the planet, Mesoamerica possesses between 7 and 10 percent of all known forms of life and 17 percent of all terrestrial species (Table 1). The region is among the most biologically diverse on the planet. Mesoamerica is the second most important of 25 hotspots in the world for species diversity and endemism—only the Tropical Andes hotspot ranks higher. For species diversity, Mesoamerica ranks number one for reptiles, and number two for amphibians, birds, mammals and non-fish vertebrates. Rates of endemism are equally high. Mesoamerica is classified as the highest in the world for mammalian endemism and second highest for amphibian, bird, reptilian and non-fish vertebrate endemism. Furthermore, three of the Western Hemisphere's four migratory bird routes converge in the region.
Several factors are responsible for the region's exceptionally high diversity. Geographically, Mesoamerica serves as a terrestrial bridge between two of the world's great biogeographic realms: the Nearctic of North America and the Neotropic of South and Central America and the Caribbean. Indeed, the great transition zone between the two realms is centered in Oaxaca, which is the most diverse of all Mexican states. Furthermore, Pacific and Caribbean coastal-marine ecosystems and the second largest reef in the world border the region. Inland, extensive mountain chains reach up to 4,211 meters and annual average rainfall varies widely from 500 to 7,000 mm. There are three biomes, 20 life zones and 33 ecoregions, including coastal-marine, rainforests, cloud forests, dry forests and pine forests. The Selva Maya is the largest continuous expanse of tropical rainforest in the Americas after the Amazon.
In addition, the area's broken topography and multiple microclimates has produced the region's own unique species. In Northern Mesoamerica, a series of highlands and mountain chains—including Santa Marta volcanic range near Coatzacoalcos in Mexico and Sierra de las Minas in Guatemala—are considered evolutionary islands. Physically isolated from surrounding valleys and lowlands plains, they are home to many endemic species of plants and animals.
In the last 20 years, significant strides have been made to put conservation on the agenda. Partnerships between governments, NGOs, universities, the scientific community, indigenous and campesino communities, the private sector and community groups have resulted in a number of institutional frameworks for conservation. Within these frameworks, the Central American System of Protected Areas (SICAP) and Central American Commission on the Environment and Development (CCAD) have occupied a position of importance in both Central American regional and national agendas. One of the environmental tasks that governments have undertaken is an effort to save the forests and protect their biodiversity from the threat of agricultural and urban expansion and uncontrolled logging.
Of particular importance in the last two decades was the establishment of a system of protected areas in each country. Governments have worked closely with NGOs and universities to set aside some 600 protected areas, covering about 20 percent of the region. Thirty-one Ramsar sites and Wetlands of International Importance were declared, as were seven World Heritage sites. In Northern Mesoamerica, 194 areas covering 8.3 million hectares were declared as protected as of 2000 (see Table 2). In spite of the strides in setting aside land for diverse categories of protection, about 60 percent of these sites are less than 10,000 hectares in area, and are considered to be too small for maintaining viable populations of species over the long run. With this limitation, the importance of establishing connectivity through appropriate land uses between protected areas to avoid fragmentation must be underscored.
In addition to the declaration of these protected areas, CCAD has become one of the most important pillars in the modernization of environmental legislation. By 1995, all Mesoamerican countries established environmental legislation with the objective of ensuring the conservation of forests and biodiversity. They also developed a set of principles and instruments for the protection of the environment and the prevention of pollution. Over the past five years, CCAD has worked toward forming strategic alliances involving technical teams from each member country to address the challenges of conservation, including such issues as international trade in endangered species, biodiversity and protected areas.
More recently, over the last two years, CCAD has set up the Permanent Forum for the Civil Society as a mechanism for coordination with regional NGOs. This mechanism was established as a means for regional dialogue and interaction with the Council of Environment Ministers of Central America and as a point for consultation between the various organizations representing the sectors of Central American civil society.
The Mesoamerica Biological Corridor (MBC), funded by the World Bank through GEF and other partners such as German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), has been another important achievement in conservation in the region. The initiative is one of the most ambitious plans for bringing conservation and sustainable development to the regional agenda. It involves both a political and a programmatic approach and emphasizes the conservation of biodiversity, the consolidation of the regional system of protected areas, community development and communications. Efforts during the first few years have focused on positioning the concept, developing the legal and institutional framework and implementing concrete projects. In the next phase of the MBC, the lessons learned will be examined and a new consolidation phase will begin as a platform for the sustainable development of the region. In Northern Mesoamerica, the MBC recently started its operations in Mexico.
Northern Mesoamerica is a highly complex and dynamic region from an ecological, political and social perspective. To ensure that CEPF funding is channeled toward grants that are strategically positioned to achieve the greatest benefits for conservation, preparation of the ecosystem profile relied on three analytical exercises. A biological assessment defined which species and geographical areas are the most important to conserve. A threats assessment examined the most critical pressures confronting these priority areas that require urgent attention to prevent the loss of biological diversity. And an investment analysis identified funding trends, gaps and opportunities to ensure CEPF investments complement and build synergy with funding from other donors and actors in the region. These three analytical pieces formed the basis for the development of the CEPF investment strategy and niche, and are summarized below.
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