Natural forest Selva Maya II

active

The project is a continuation and conceptual development of the Natural Forest Maya I project, which ended in 2020. It is intended to consolidate its positive results and further strengthen regional cooperation through contributions to the implementation of the Estrategia Integral Selva Maya 2030 developed in Phase I. The Selva Maya is the largest contiguous tropical forest area north of the Amazon and extends across southeastern Mexico, northern Guatemala and Belize. The Selva Maya thus represents an important carbon sink and forms the livelihood of the population that lives in the project area and depends on the use of natural resources. The Selva Maya also has a high cultural value due to numerous archaeological sites. However, the unique ecosystem, its biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services are increasingly threatened by the loss of forest resources, degradation and fragmentation of forest landscapes. The project therefore aims to preserve and protect biodiversity, cultural heritage and the sustainable use of natural resources in selected protected areas and their interconnection zones. The project contributes to protecting the global climate (SDG 13) and preserving biodiversity (SDG 15). The measures financed are selected using the competitive principle. Among other things, they help to improve the connectivity and management of protected areas and promote the sustainable use of natural resources. The recipient of the grant of up to EUR 20.5 million and the project sponsor is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The target group of the project is the rural population of the Selva Maya, whose livelihood is based on the use of natural resources. The project area extends over areas in the three countries of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.