Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
Resource information
This is a Regional Program Review (RPR)
of the World Bank's support for the MBC. The review is
framed around an assessment of five Global Environment
Facility (GEF)-financed World Bank implemented projects in
Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama that had
the common objective of consolidating the Mesoamerican
Biological Corridor (MBC). It also reports on the
achievements of trust fund activities, financed by the Bank
Netherlands Partnership Program (BNPP), that were
implemented parallel to the GEF/World Bank projects. The MBC
is a land-use planning system that spans Central America and
Mexico. It is designed to promote the conservation and
sustainable use of the region's natural resources. The
overall objective of the Bank's MBC projects of
consolidating the MBC was highly relevant. Although the
Central American land bridge is very small, it is estimated
to be home to 12 percent of the world's known species.
It harbors approximately 24,000 species of vascular plants
and over 500 species of mammals, many of which are endemic.
The MBC derives its legitimacy from the endorsement it
received at the Central American heads of state summit in 1997.
