Cooperation

With the support of the German Federal Government, the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development (GIZ, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) works in the Selva Maya in the protection and sustainable use of tropical forests. The program’s objective is for key government and civil society actors to carry out coordinated measures for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources.

In order to contribute to the strengthening of regional governance, since August 2016 the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ, German Cooperation for Sustainable Development Agency), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), jointly with the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD); implements the regional project Support for monitoring of biodiversity and climate change in the Selva Maya. The project is also supported by the NGO Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which has been spearheading the monitoring of biodiversity in Guatemala since 1992.

El proyecto se construye sobre las experiencias generadas dentro del proyecto “Protección y uso sostenible de la Selva Maya” (2011-2019), por encargo del Ministerio Federal de Cooperación Económica y Desarrollo de Alemania (BMZ).  Se ejecuta en estrecha coordinación con dos proyectos de la cooperación alemana: “Fomento del monitoreo de biodiversidad y cambio climático en la región Selva Maya” y “Protección de recursos naturales de la Selva Maya”.

La meta del proyecto es la coordinación regional entre Belice, Guatemala y México para la protección y conservación de la Selva Maya está mejorada.

The German Cooperation, through the KfW (German development bank) supports the regional conservation initiative structured around agreements between the nations of Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico, to preserve cultural, historical and biological resources in this vital landscape for Central America and the world. The Selva Maya Natural Resources Protection Project is commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) to the KfW and implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The project’s objective is to maintain the ecosystem functions and cultural values of the Selva Maya that promote the welfare of its people and provides environmental services of global importance.

Multiple institutions work in the three countries to conserve the ecosystems of the Selva Maya and ensure the sustainable use of natural and cultural resources. In addition to the federal authorities designated to manage the protected areas: MAFFESD (Belize), CONAP (Guatemala), CONANP (Mexico), various other government, non-governmental and civil society organizations collaborate in this region.