Northern Mesoamerica is at a crossroads. The level of environmental consciousness and the perceived importance of biodiversity conservation have increased rapidly in recent years. Governments have led the way, creating the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor and the Central American Commission on the Environment and Development. Many donors have followed, investing millions of dollars in sustainable development, and promising to invest exponentially more in the next five years. However, a few investors have not yet responded to the new Mesoamerican consciousness. Projects that destroy rather than protect natural resources continue to be proposed such as road improvements that cut into the region's most important biodiversity areas and dams that will flood pristine, globally unique forests. Moreover, significant segments of Mesoamerican civil society have not yet been able to influence the decisionmaking process that determines which investments and which policies will be implemented. The disconnect remains wide between the top down planning that governments are able to provide, and the transparency and decentralization that civil society needs.
CEPF will invest in bridging this gap. Five years of investments in knowledge, capacity and coordination will enable civil society to better engage in the making of decisions that improve conservation and will ensure that other, bigger development investments have had a net positive impact on biodiversity conservation. Mesoamericans deserve a significant role in natural resource management decisionmaking: CEPF investments will help prepare them for this role.
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