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The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor As a Mechanism for Transborder Environmental Cooperation

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The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor As a Mechanism for Transborder Environmental Cooperation LATIN AMERICA ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT AND COOPERATION: THE MESOAMERICAN BIOLOGICAL CORRIDOR AS A MECHANISM FOR TRANSBORDER ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION Report of the Regional Consultation 4-5 July 2006, Mexico City, Mexico Alexander López and Alicia Jiménez Centro Mesoamericano de Desarrollo Sostenible del Trópico Seco Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica A product of the Environment and Conflict Prevention Initiative of the of the UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment December 2007 Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars United Nations Environment Programme LATIN AMERICA ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT AND COOPERATION: THE MESOAMERICAN BIOLOGICAL CORRIDOR AS A MECHANISM FOR TRANSBORDER ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION Report of the Regional Consultation 4-5 July 2006, Mexico City, Mexico Alexander López and Alicia Jiménez Centro Mesoamericano de Desarrollo Sostenible del Trópico Seco Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica A product of the Environment and Conflict Prevention Initiative of the UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment December 2007 Disclaimers The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Environment Programme. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this paper do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS .....................................................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................5 I. ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT AND COOPERATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN...............................................................................................................................................6 1.1 THE DYNAMIC OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS IN LATIN AMERICA .............................................................6 1.2 THE PAYOFFS OF TRANSBORDER COOPERATION IN LATIN AMERICA..........................................................7 1.3 REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA ............................................................8 II. CASE STUDY: THE MESOAMERICAN BIOLOGICAL CORRIDOR AS A MECHANISM FOR TRANSBORDER ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION.........................................................................10 2.1 CONFLICTS AND COOPERATION IN MESOAMERICA ..................................................................................10 2.2 THE MBC INITIATIVE .............................................................................................................................12 2.2.1 MBC achievements and obstacles...................................................................................................14 2.2.2 MBC regional implementation..........................................................................................................17 2.2.3 Analysis of transborder biological corridor projects .........................................................................18 2.3 FACTORS THAT AFFECT MBC IMPLEMENTATION .....................................................................................31 2. 4 THE MBC AS CONFLICT-PREVENTION TOOL AND COOPERATION MECHANISM ..........................................34 2.5 CHALLENGES TO BUILDING TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA.................................38 2.6 CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE MBC AND PROMOTE REGIONAL COOPERATION ......................................39 ANNEX 1................................................................................................................................................................42 ANNEX 2..................................................................................................................................................................43 ANNEX 3..................................................................................................................................................................44 REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................................45 Map References .......................................................................................................................................50 2 ACRONYMS ACICAFOC: Central America Indigenous and Peasant Coordinator of Community Agroforestry AFE-COHDEFOR: State Forestry Administration – Honduran Forestry Development Corporation ALIDES: Central American Alliance for Sustainable Development APREFLOFAS: Wildlife Preservationist Association ASOCODE: Association of Central American Peasants Organizations for Cooperation and Development BR: Biosphere Reserve CAC: Central American Agricultural Council CBM: Mesoamerican Biological Corridor CCAD: Central American Commission for Environment and Development CCT: Tropical Scientific Center CICA: Central American Indigenous Council COMISCA: Central American Ministries of Health Council CONAP: National Council of Protected Areas of Guatemala CONANP: National Commission of Protected Areas of Mexico DANIDA: Danish Cooperation Agency DEWA: Division of Early Warning and Assessment of UNEP ERB: Central America’s Regional Strategy for Biodiversity GEF: Global Environmental Facility GIMC: Global Intergovernmental and Multistakeholders Consultations of UNEP IADB: Inter-American Development Bank ICDP: Integrated conservation and development projects INBio: Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute IUCN: World Conservation Union 3 LAC: Latin America and Caribbean region MBC: Mesoamerican Biological Corridor MARENA: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Nicaragua MINAE: Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica MNRE: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Belize NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NP: National Park OTCA: Organization of the Amazonian Cooperation Treaty PARCA: Central American Environmental Plan PMIE: Regional Project of integrated management of ecosystems in indigenous communities of Central America PREVDA: Regional Program for Vulnerability and Environmental Degradation Reduction PROARCA/APM: USAID Regional Environmental Program for Central America / Protected Areas and Environmental Marketing Component SAM: Mesoamerican Coral Reefs System Project SEMARNAT: Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment of Mexico SERNA: Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment of Honduras SICA: Central American Integration System TNC: The Nature Conservancy UNEP: United Nations Environmental Program UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization USAID: United States Agency for International Development WB: World Bank 4 1. Introduction In response to the request by UNEP’s Global Intergovernmental and Multistakeholders Consultations (GIMC) to assess “the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental challenges and emerging issues relating to…natural and human-induced hazards and conflicts, including peace and security,” the Environment and Conflict Prevention Initiative of UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) has prioritized carrying out consultative regional assessments in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), Asia and the Pacific, and Africa. This report presents the findings of the LAC regional assessment, which uses the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) to describe environment, conflict prevention, and cooperation issues in the region. The MBC was chosen because it provides an example of a multinational initiative for biodiversity conservation and development. It is the only project in the world that is trying to coordinate actions in eight countries. It is also one of the most representative efforts of transboundary cooperation in LAC region. The report’s main objective is to explore the impact of the MBC initiative in building regional cooperation and to what extent it has facilitated the creation of conditions for environmental conflict resolution. This assessment covers activities from 2000 to 2005, when the MBC consolidation project was active, and focuses on transboundary areas, where the MBC is implemented at the regional level. The report is organized in two sections. First, it provides an overview of the dynamic of environmental conflict and cooperation in Latin America, specifically related to transboundary areas. It discusses some of the main challenges for transborder environmental governance in relation to the internationalization of environmental problems and the limitations of the traditional natural resources management within national spheres. The first section also uses secondary information and literary reviews to reflect on the importance of new institutions for regional environmental cooperation in the region. Several concepts in this section are defined in Annex 1. The second section provides an analysis of the MBC as a means to foster transborder environmental cooperation in Central America and Southern Mexico. It provides a description of this initiative—the Mesoamerican context for environmental management—and it identifies some of the main obstacles and challenges facing the initiative as it tries to develop effective regional institutions for transboundary resources
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