REDD+ Project for Caribbean Guatemala: The Conservation Coast

This project reduces CO2 emissions by preventing deforestation caused by the conversion of forests into cropland and pasture. The project area is located in Department of Izabal in the Caribbean coast region of Guatemala. Belonging to the biologically diverse Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, forests in the project area are important nationally and globally for the ecosystem services they provide. The forests in the project area have historically experienced a continued reduction in biomass due to the expansion of industrial agriculture and migration of subsistence farmers and cattle ranchers into these areas. Between 1991 and 2010, approximately 55,440 hectares of forests were lost in the Caribbean Guatemala region, one of the fastest deforestation rates in Latin America. This project aims to alleviate these pressures on the forest and protect it by supporting alternative activities that generate income for the communities, including agroforest system plantation and ecotourism. The project also aims to empower marginalised and vulnerable communities through the legalisation of land, promotion of reproductive rights and participation in resource management. As well as raise awareness of rare, threatened, and endangered species and their importance. These project activities, beyond protecting local forests and biodiversity, contribute to social and economic development in one of the poorest areas of Guatemala.