Close to seventy women gathered from various coastal communities in Belize at Hopkins Village for the 7th Women in Fisheries Forum (WIFF), which was held under the theme, "Leave No One Behind in Building an Enabling Environment for Our Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries." The annual forum is designed to bring recognition to the varied roles women play in Belize’s small-scale fisheries sector and to provide a space for women to voice the challenges they face and opportunities they would like to pursue.

by WCS Mesoamerica and Western Caribbean The Darien Forest is a bastion of conservation and biodiversity worldwide and is also considered the best preserved American ecological corridor between countries and with excellent rates of species representative of South America and North America, product of geographical bridge of union of the continent. Its reason is the non-existence of roads and the presence and care of the forest by the indigenous communities through their Comarcas assigned by Panamanian law. Undoubtedly, indigenous knowledge and their commitment to nature are what make the difference. This note presents a series of reflections on the participation of the Comarcas, partners of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), in the Small Grants initiative of the European Union project, within the framework of DeSIRA. Both Comarcas prioritize the protection of their forests and mainly the control of the advance of the cattle-agricultural frontier normally linked to the "Colonos and/or Latinos" (local colloquial name for non-indigenous mestizo outsiders). At the end of January and beginning of February 2024, a series of meetings and local analysis workshops were held on the threats to the territories and how to efficiently invest the European Union funds allocated to WCS via grants. For its part, the Emberá General Congress, titled its project, "Strengthening the territorial protection processes of the Comarca" and the Gunayala General Congress / Research and Development Institute of Kuna Yala (IIDKY) named it, "Strengthening and Protection of the bordering areas of the Gunayala Comarca, Panama." REFLECTIONS: a. The Darien Forest has suffered the least deforestation in the last 20 years, among the forests within the 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica Initiative. (WCS, The Human Footprint, 2020). b. The organization and governance of the Comarcas has an impact on the co-responsibility of work, conservation and development of their territories. Community work towards forest protection is valuable, is valued and is being transmitted to the following generations. c. In both Comarcas, the advance of the frontier occurs on the southern border, coming from areas with road access and cattle ranches in the process of expansion. d. It is necessary to strengthen the Comarcas in the areas of state-of-the-art protection technology such as SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool), drones, mapping technology, access and equipment in geographic information systems, for better immediate control of their threats. e. Regardless of the state-of-the-art technology, patrols, delimitation, demarcation, control booths, and gaps are necessary and permanent actions for conservation effectiveness. f.  It is necessary to strengthen its administrative and financial management processes, mainly in the Emberá Comarca. The AMPB is planning, together with the work axes, a strengthening and training in fund management, project monitoring and basic operational regulations. It is essential that the Emberá update the Foundation created some years ago, which is currently inactive. g. It is important to update the tourism control measures in the Gunayala Comarca so as not to exceed the established carrying capacity, avoiding the destruction of the forests and their relationship with the ocean.

March 2024 Download the newsletter This newsletter includes independent notes about investment and results in the 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica (5GB). It highlights the participation in the COP 28 within the SICA Pavilion with Team Europe, new implementers of the European Union in the Program. At the same COP, Debora Sanchez, Director of CLARIFI, shares her reflections on the human right to a healthy and prosperous environment.  From the Maya Forest, César Paz, from WCS Guatemala, informs us about the pilot tests of forest restoration in degraded areas recovered from illegal cattle ranching. Bianca Padilla of the WCS Honduras-Nicaragua binational program presents her reflections and analysis on the importance of indigenous territories in the Honduran Moskitia. In the Advances section, on this occasion a brief review of the work in the Indigenous Regions of Panama, within the Darien forest. Finally, we share the publications of the studies already completed by the Bioversity - CIAT Alliance on market and added value of agricultural products or forest by-products prioritized by the partner communities of the 5GB. If you are interested in publishing in this newsletter, do not hesitate to share your information to this email. The Great Forests of Mesoamerica at COP 28 by WCS Mesoamerica and Western Caribbean The panel of the Great Forests of Mesoamerica Program was presented at the El Salvador-SICA Pavilion during COP 28 in December 2023 with the European Team that implements it and the accompaniment of regional partners. THE MOSKITIA (HONDURAS)   The Human Right to a Healthy Environment: Reflections from COP 28 by Deborah Sanchez - Rights and Resources Initiative At this year's COP 28, my brothers and sisters have shared key insights that are fundamental to securing the UN's human rights agenda as well as planetary health. If the COP 28 negotiators are truly dedicated to securing our right to a healthy environment and planet, we need them to not only listen, but really pay attention and respond to what we are doing as communities on the front lines of the climate crisis.   Patrols and territorial defense in the Moskitia by Bianca Padilla - WCS Honduras-Nicaragua As part of the field activities carried out in the Río Plátano Biosphere Zone, Tawahka Biosphere, Warunta's proposed protected area, 52 indigenous and/or community rangers have been trained, as well as seven technicians from the Conservation Institute (ICF) and the Forestry Development, Protected Areas and Wildlife area. These trainings, carried out from October 2020 to December 2023, enabled them to carry out patrols collecting data from their observations through the use of the SMART tool. MAYA FOREST (GUATEMALA) Forest Landscape Restoration in Degraded Areas by César Paz - WCS Guatemala In the heart of the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), within the Multiple Use Zone (MUZ), we face significant challenges caused by various factors, with illegal cattle ranching being the greatest environmental threat. This problem has led to massive deforestation and soil and forest degradation. Since 2009, the authorities of the State of Guatemala have joined together to initiate a valuable process of recovery of usurped territories in the "La Colorada/El Molino" Management Unit. These areas, which have been recovered, have established exotic pastures. In order to carry out the ecological reconstruction process of these areas, it is essential to initiate an active restoration process. DARIEN (PANAMA) Progress, Results and Reflections about the Darien by WCS Mesoamerica and Western Caribbean This note presents a series of reflections on the participation of the Comarcas, partners of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), in the Small Grants initiative of the European Union project, within the framework of DeSIRA. Both Comarcas prioritize the protection of their forests and mainly the control of the advance of the cattle-agricultural frontier normally linked to the "Colonos and/or Latinos" (local colloquial name for non-indigenous mestizo outsiders). MARKET PROFILES OF SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES CARRIED OUT BY IATTC IN LARGE FORESTS by International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) Forest conservation depends on multiple factors, including adequate living conditions and sustainable economic development opportunities for the communities living in and around the forests. For this reason, under the framework of the European Union DeSIRA project, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) analyzed various productive alternatives in selected sites of the Great Forests of Mesoamerica. This publication has been funded/co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.  

Ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference pre-meeting in Costa Rica, women leaders from 11  from Latin America and Caribbean countries released a call to action with major recommendations for better mainstreaming women’s priorities for coastal marine conservation and sustainable development into national policy dialogue.  Among other requests, the Women Ocean Guardians called for concrete actions by governments to eliminate gender-based violence, recognize the benefits and burdens of caregiving, enhance fairness of labor practices, guarantee health care, and foster leadership opportunities for women.

There are four species of tapir in the world and Central America is home to the Tapirus bairdii species, also known as danta o danto, considered a symbol of the jungle and fertility, present in myths and legends of various indigenous communities. This April 27th, we celebrate their presence in the Great Forests of Mesoamerica, as they play a crucial role in seed dispersal, thus contributing to the regeneration of tropical forests where they inhabit. Their distribution spans southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, northwestern Colombia (Chocó and Darién) and historically in El Salvador.

With the frightening die-off of animals across the globe due to avian influenza, WCS is calling for governments internationally to treat this growing crisis with the urgency it demands. As we continue to monitor the death of innumerable species and track the movement of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) into mammal populations, we must strengthen the focus on integrating the surveillance of emerging influenza clades in wild birds and mammals to support critical vaccine libraries.

The UK Biodiverse Landscapes Fund is a global initiative covering six valuable biodiversity hotspots around the world. In Mesoamerica it will invest up to approximately US$19 million over the next six years. In Guatemala and Honduras, the fund will cover the areas of the Mayan Jungle, Trifinio and Mosquitia.

If we consider historical patterns during El Niño years, particularly the effects observed in Mesoamerica during dry and fire seasons, we could anticipate consequences for this year similar to those experienced in previous critical moments. For example, in 1998, El Niño contributed to one of the most severe fire seasons, devastating large areas of the Maya Forest, affecting biodiversity and exposing communities to critical levels of smoke pollution.

As an organization dedicated to conservation, we enthusiastically celebrate World Wildlife Day. From the oceans, to forests, to the most remote places, we collaborate with local organizations, communities and governments to conserve and protect wildlife. Under this year's motto,“Connecting people and the planet: Exploring digital innovation in wildlife conservation”, we want to highlight how technology has become an essential tool in our work by sharing some examples of this:

The “Joint NABC Bird Banding Certification and Bird Genoscape Project Workshop with an introduction to Motus” was held with the participation of more than 25 bird specialists from Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain and the United States of America. Spanish, English and Creole were heard, but everyone comes together for a common cause: understanding the ecology of birds through their complete annual biological cycle and identifying migratory routes, in order to improve conservation strategies.