Recently, at the fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 4) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), which is made up of the environmental ministries of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic (known as the SICA region) was selected as one of the 18 regional organizations that will manage regional centres to bolster the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan, through science, technology and innovation.

The Central American region represents 12% of the world’s biological biodiversity, distributed in: 206 ecosystems, 33 ecoregions and 20 life zones, including 567,000 ha of mangroves, 1,600 km of coral reefs and 40% of the region’s forest cover. Biodiversity and ecosystems contribute to water regulation, control of erosion and sedimentation of reservoirs, filtering of pollutants, and scenic beauty.

Despite of this natural richness, during the last years, the Central American region has lost 52% of its original biodiversity, 34% of its soil; and the number of threatened species in the region continues to grow. The management of biodiversity has been constrained by the pressure it exerts on the environment; the social structure of land tenure, population growth and inequalities, migration and poverty, as well as inadequate productive practices, which have led to the loss of soil and the degradation and fragmentation of habitats, has led to the overexploitation and depletion of natural resources, pollution and environmental degradation, placing their general availability at risk due to the destruction of ecosystems, thus limiting the possibilities for the wellbeing of present and future generations.

As a region, the ministers of environment of the eight SICA countries, gathered within the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), have stressed that ecological restoration is essential for the conservation of biodiversity, which helps provide habitat for species, ecosystems and genes, avoiding extinctions and creating connected and healthy landscapes and seascapes that generate enduring ecosystem services essential for life. 

Additionally, the ministers have committed to promoting the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in biodiversity management and conservation activities, their sustainable use and fair and equitable distribution of benefits related to access to genetic resources and their derivatives.

CCAD countries have advanced implementing actions tu fulfill the GBF. The Initiative of the Great Forests of Central America and Dominican Republic is being supported by local and international partners , to implement a project that adresses goals for conservation, management, economic alternatives, livelihoods and climate action in the biopdiversity of their forests. 

Likewise, we have been working as a región to incorporate the problem of biodiversity loss in the development strategies not only of governments, but also of different productive sectors and commit, through a comprehensive approach with multiple stakeholders, to contribute to compliance with the Biodiversity Plan Kunming-Montreal.

During this side event, our environmental authorities will address the challenges and opportunities for compliance with the Biodiversity Plan, through national and regional strategies, and to effectively manage the Regional Biodiversity Center granted by the CBD