Support to the Guatemala Gap Analysis Process Under the Convention on Biological Diversity
Support the development and dissemination of a financial sustainability plan for the protected areas system as part of a broader effort to fulfill the government of Guatemala’s commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Preparing a Bi-National Guatemalan – Mexican Action Plan to Conserve the Biological Corridor between Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and Mirador - Rio Azul National Park
Promote dialogue and achieve consensus within Guatemala and between Mexican stakeholders on priorities for managing a bi-national biological corridor in a core region of the Selva Maya. 

XXVIII International Course for Protected Areas: Buffer Zones and Biological Corridors for Ecosystem Management of Landscapes
Support training of five participants from organizations working to conserve key biodiversity areas in Northern Mesoamerica. Training involves intensive coursework and practical field work in various planning and implementation topics related to protected areas management. 

Exchanging CEPF Grantee Experience and Lessons Learned in Protected Areas Management in Northern Mesoamerica at the Mesoamerican Protected Areas Congress II
Support CEPF grantee participation in Mesoamerica’s premier protected areas conference. Grantees will exchange lessons learned from implementing conservation projects and improve their coordination, as well as disseminate information about CEPF and its conservation priorities to key conservation actors in the region.

Consolidation of CEPF’s Protected Areas and Conservation Corridor Portfolio in Mesoamerica
Provide technical assistance to partners to help achieve CEPF’s protected areas objectives in Mesoamerica. Assist partners in the declaration of new protected areas in Northern Mesoamerica, development of improved capacity for fire management and control of illegal timber and wildlife harvesting, and strengthening of existing protected areas.

Establishment and Initial Management Support for Three New Protected Areas in Cuchumatanes Key Biodiversity Area in Guatemala
Build a foundation for declaring three new protected areas by preparing technical and management studies, drafting legal language for protection designation, and initiating management activities in close collaboration with community groups.

Identifying Important Bird Areas in Belize and Guatemala
Support local nongovernmental organizations to identify Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Belize and Guatemala for threatened, endemic, and congregatory birds. The information will be incorporated into the refinement of boundaries and prioritization for key biodiversity areas in Northern Mesoamerica.

Baird’s Tapir Conservation Workshop
Support the development of Mesoamerica’s first conservation strategy for the Endangered Baird’s tapir by funding a workshop of experts and the printing and dissemination of the strategy.

Fostering Stakeholder Coordination in the Selva Maya through Ecoregional Planning and Alliance Building
Support the ecoregional planning process for the Selva Maya Corridor by engaging leading environmental groups and government agencies throughout the region in joint planning and coordination of conservation objectives and actions. The grant supports technical studies, publication of the plan and findings, information dissemination, and government adoption of key recommendations.

Sharing Experiences and Lessons Learned in Mesoamerica via the Eco-Index
Provide detailed information in English and Spanish on conservation projects and issues throughout Mesoamerica as the second phase of support to this online database. Activities include the entry and annual updating on the site of all CEPF-supported projects in Mesoamerica, creation of Web sites for partner organizations without existing sites, and organizing a stakeholder workshop in Southern Mesoamerica.

Raising Awareness of Conservation of the Natural Ecosystems of Manatees (Trichechus manatus) through Environmental Monitoring in Local Communities
Launch a conservation project in the San San River and wetland to protect one of the largest populations of manatees in Panama. The grant will fund water quality analysis to identify pollutants and their sources, placement of signs in priority sites, and a public education campaign to increase awareness of manatee protection.

Infrastructure Integration and Biodiversity Conservation in Mesoamerica
Integrate conservation concerns into the planning of major infrastructure projects throughout Mesoamerica by bringing together NGOs and government agencies for capacity building and analysis of proposed projects. This grant supports an inventory of proposed major energy and transportation projects, their ranking according to economic and environmental criteria, a conservation economics and policy course, and three to five policy analyses of priority projects.

CEPF Coordination to Promote Development Policies, Investments, and Institutional Collaboration for Biodiversity Conservation in Northern Mesoamerica
Strengthen the capability of civil society to engage in all levels of decisionmaking regarding the future use and conservation of Northern Mesoamerica’s biodiversity. Specifically, the grant funds assistance to manage the CEPF program in the region; development and implementation of strategies to reform key policies; technical assistance to strengthen key protected areas; and development of mechanisms to prevent the extinction of the region’s 106 Critically Endangered species.