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March 29, 2007—The sale of honey is the main source of income for 8,000 small apiculturists living in the Yucatan peninsula. Despite the importance of honey and the great world demand for it, these apiculturists lack the knowledge to increase production and improve product quality without adversely affecting the fragile and diverse flora in southeast Mexico.

These small producers are among the main beneficiaries of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Mexico (MBC-Mexico), which promotes the design and implementation of sustainable initiatives to use the plentiful natural resources in the states of Yucatan, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo. The project seeks to improve income levels and provide a higher quality of life for local communities –many of which are indigenous– while preserving one of the most biodiversity-rich regions in Mexico and the world.

The project also benefits the isolated municipality of Solosuchiapa in Chiapas, which sought assistance for creating a Municipal Plan for Sustainable Development. This plan –the first of its kind for the municipality– guides the sustainable use of abundant forest resources in order to ensure the long-term conservation of the community’s primary source of income. Sustainability is highly important for Solosuchiapa, a municipality with a large Zoque population whose 7,000 residents average 17 years of age.

According to the agency, “Local stakeholders and policymakers are building the framework for biodiversity protection and best-practice natural resource management. Our goal of building a bridge between conservation and development is almost in sight.”

The World Bank-administered Global Environment Facility (GEF) donated US$14.8 million to the MBC project. The project is establishing five biological corridors in the states of Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan –vast areas of forest, jungle, and wetlands containing the greatest number of species in Mexico. For example, despite accounting for only 1 percent of the national territory, the temperate cloud forests of Chiapas are home to 10 percent of Mexico’s floral diversity.

Approximately 900 plant and 200 animal species have been found in just one hectare of tropical forest in the Yucatan peninsula. Over 320 birds, 120 mammals, and 70 reptiles have been identified throughout the region. At the same time, southeast Mexico has the highest poverty levels in the country.

The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor began as a regional initiative, aiming to unite North and South American ecosystems through the Central American isthmus. The project includes Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua, where its headquarters are located.

According to the World Bank’s Atlas of Global Development, up to 49 percent of Mexico’s surface area is covered by forests. However, with a loss of nearly 320 million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2005, Mexico has one of the severest cases of deforestation in the world.

The MBC project comes under one of the four components in the World Bank’s current Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Mexico. The project is part of the environmental sustainability component, which aims at improving the country’s use of natural resources.

The World Bank is supporting Mexico with US$120 million in grants and loans that fund six projects related to the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The environmental sector is thus extremely important in the relationship between the World Bank and Mexico.

Story written by Mireya Olivas, Public Information Assistant, México.
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