home _ Countries & Regions _ Central America and the Caribbean

CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

The countries of Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) comprise an area rich with a diverse range of plant and animal life. It is estimated that approximately 7 percent of the world's animal species live in Central America, a narrow strip of forests and beaches that accounts for only 0.5 percent of earth's land area. The population of Central America is approximately 37 million, with a yearly growth rate of about 3 percent. Although Central America has been plagued for decades by civil wars and natural disasters, the region witnessed a period of economic growth throughout the 1990s. Expanding economies coupled with growing populations have put significant new stresses on the environment in Central America. Observers from around the world have concluded that the environmental quality of the region is in rapid decline.

Despite its recent economic growth, Central America remains one of the poorest regions on earth; a fact which has led to massive exploitation of the area's natural resource base. Large areas of forest have been cut down and burned for firewood or used in the production of paper, while significant portions of land have been cleared for agricultural use. Approximately half of all Central Americans live in rural areas, and it is estimated that the average family living below the poverty line burns approximately 12 tons of firewood a year. Also, as a result of oil exploration activities in certain parts of Guatemala, such as the northern Peten rainforest region, the building of roads has led to the clearing of land and forested areas. These activities have contributed to large-scale erosion and soil loss, leaving many areas vulnerable to flash floods and mudslides as the natural landscape's ability to retain water is jeopardized.

Click on the links below to see full document sets for that country.

Sub sections:

DOCUMENTS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR


03/08/2012	Deforestation and Reforestation of Latin America and the Caribbean (2001–2010) Forest cover change directly affects biodiversity, the global carbon budget, and ecosystem function. ...	Biotropica, the Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation (T. Mitchell Aide et al)
	< BACK TO TOP

28/01/2011	Agriculture Greenhouse Emissions in Latin America and the Caribbean The authors of this pilot study claim that farmers in Latin America and Caribbean will see billions in ...	Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
	< BACK TO TOP

NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR


19/02/2013	International raid targets illegal timber trade Interpol has announced that it arrested nearly 200 people in a wide-ranging international operation against ...	BBC
	< BACK TO TOP

20/08/2012	Chart: Forest loss in Latin America Latin America lost nearly 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 square miles) of forest — an area ...	Mongabay.com
	< BACK TO TOP

31/01/2011	Revenues, employment in Latin American tropical areas to decline due to deforestation ban Farmers in Latin America and Caribbean will see billions in lost revenue over the next two decades if ...	Hispanically Speaking News
	< BACK TO TOP

14/12/2010	New atlas maps future of the environment in Latin America and Caribbean From deforestation in Guatemala to the effects of mining in Colombia, a new atlas produced by the United ...	VAdvert.co.uk, UK
	< BACK TO TOP

EVENTS

DATE	TITLE


Monday 5th March 2012	27th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC) Based on national and regional priorities, the mandate of the LACFC is to advice FAO on the forestry ...
	< BACK TO TOP