Total area (%)
Chapter 2: State and Trends
Figure 2.5.14: Protected areas in LAC per sub-region, 2015. 30
35 20 15 10 5 0
Besides establishing PAs with clear guidelines within state institutions, several countries in the region have sought alternative sources of sustainable funding, such as formal budgets from central governments and the establishment of conservation trust funds with private institutions entrusted with conservation programmes. Governments budgets allocated to PA in LAC are insufficient: on average, LAC countries allocate just 1 per cent of national environmental budgets to PA, which covers about 54 per cent of the total operating costs20
(World Bank 2012a). Terrestrial protected areas Source: UNEP-WCMC 2015b
supply and the displacement of current agriculture zones and planting patterns (Vergara 2009). Alterations in other important ecosystems such as the region’s forests and savannah lands can also be expected on account of climate change (Malhi et al. 2009; Betts et al. 2008) (More…32).
2.5.5 Responses Terrestrial Ecosystems Responses
Over recent decades, a wide range of options has been implemented in LAC to promote conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity. Protected areas (PA) are common instruments in public policy for in situ conservation of biodiversity. In 2015, 4.87 million square kilometres of terrestrial ecosystems were protected in LAC (24 per cent its territory, UNEP-WCMC 2015b). South American terrestrial PA covered about 90.6 per cent of the total, followed by Mesoamerica (8.7 per cent) and the Caribbean (0.7 per cent, see Figures 2.5.14 and 2.5.15). In fact, 74% of all new protected areas worldwide between 2003 and 2009 were established in Brazil (Jenkins and Joppa 2009)
Not threatened
The Ramsar Convention has been a relevant framework for the conservation of freshwater ecosystems. The Convention provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and rational use of wetlands of international relevance and its resources. In 2015, LAC had 239 Ramsar sites in inland areas, covering 4 650 000 square kilometres. The countries with the most Ramsar sites are Mexico (91 sites; 715 000 square kilometres), followed by Argentina (21 sites; 534 823 square kilometres), Peru (13 sites; 678 404 square kilometres), Ecuador (14 sites; 26 600 square kilometres), Brazil (13 sites; 72 698 square kilometres), and Bolivia (13 sites; 1 480 000 square kilometres) (data from Ramsar Convention 2015, see Figure 2.5.16).
The establishment of biological corridors ensure continuity to the ecological processes of ecosystems. The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor established in 1997 includes eight countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Mexico and aims to connect protected areas of Central and North America as well as developing low-impact projects that seek to promote productive alternatives with local communities (CONABIO 2015) (Figure 2.5.17).
Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes seek to reward the owners of areas with natural ecosystems for their conservation efforts (see also Section 2.4). In Mexico,
20 Defined as the funding required to operate key conservation programs and basic requirements to sustain the functions of ecosystems in the PA.
117
+ Caribbean Caribbean Mesoamerica South America
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