Conservation of Central American Watersheds

Central America is one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots. Many of the region’s ecosystems lie in trans-boundary watersheds, which form an integral part of the wider Central American Protected Areas System and are pillars for conservation of the region’s significant biological resources. The Conservation of Central American Watersheds project is working to improve the management of two of these watersheds: Bocas del Toro/Cahuita/Río Cañas in Panama and Costa Rica, and the Gulf of Honduras in Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. By strengthening local capacity to accelerate the implementation of land-use and conservation plans, providing incentives for businesses to adopt best environmental practices, and forging alliances for conservation, the project is helping to conserve these fragile but economically critical watersheds.