Tourism projects in Central América

Value chain Workshop.CI

Miriam Castillo Northern Mesoamerica office

Where are we?

Why C.A is important?• Biological reasons:

- C.A. land bridge between 2 continents. - High endemism, biodiversity, restricted

distribution for several species - Examples: The mesoamerican hotspot (south

Mexico-Panamá): first in reptiles diversity; 2 amphibians;

3 mammals; 4 birds; 5 plants; 6 freshwater fishes.

More species of pine, oak than other region of similar size

but…….

- Biodiversity is in danger (one of the highest rates of deforestation in the word), poverty,high population growth

rates.

- Cultural reasons: specially south México, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá

• Tourism reasons: millions of tourist visit the region each year.

Northern C.A.

What are we doing?

CEPF PROJECTS (ONGOING)

SUBJECT No.PROJECT COUNTRIES

Endengered species 6 Belize, Honduras, region

Control Forest Fires 2 Guatemala

Management of protected areas 4 Guatemala

Consolidation& coodination CEPF 2 Region

Public politics 2 Guatemala

Protected areas 1 Belize

Assistance to enterprises 1  

Conservation outcomes 1 Region

Debt for nature 1 Guatemala

TOURISM 2 Guatemala, Belize

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CEPF Tourism projects:

• “Developing recommendations and an action plan to integrate biodiversity conservation into tourism policy in Belize and Guatemala”.

• Partner grantee: Counterpart International Status: ongoing

• “Building sustainable and competitive tourism enterprises in Northern Mesoamerica”.

Places to work: Guatemala (Huehuetenango and Sierra del Lacandon National Park in Petén)

Partner grantee: Rainforest Alliance

Status: proposal approval phase

Legacy project:• “Partnering to the protection of pine oak mesoamerican

forest.”• Donator: Legacy foundation• TNC-CI project (2007-2009)• To work in: Chiapas, Guatemalan Highlands, Honduras• 3 general components:

1.strengthen the protected areas.

2. Training local communities and small grants to pilote projects.

3)Stregthen the Pine Oak Regional Alliance

Some activities in Guatemala:• A workshop to desing, construction and

maintenance of trails in protected areas will be in Guatemala (may 08). (second year of project will be give a environmental interpretation to tourism and cultural guides.

• Workshops about: importance and management and protected areas; better practices in coffee (may 08) and agrosilvopastoril systems (june 08).

• Small grant to determinate the need of communitary enterprises (related to tourism and handicrafts) in Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. (in proposal phase)

Tourism projects in Southern Central America

What they done?

CEPF PROJECTS DONE

SUBJECT No.PROJECT COUNTRIES

Conservation Coffee 1 Costa Rica

Establishment of corridors 2 Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

Management of protected areas and corridors 7 Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

Indigenous traditional practices 2 region

TOURISM 3 Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

Endangered species 10 Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

Environmental Education 3 Costa Rica, Panama

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CEPF Tourism projects

• “Promoting sustainable development in the Buffer Zone of La Amistad Biosphere Reserve through Ecotourism in the Naso Indigenous community territory”.

• Partner grantee: Organización para el desarrollo del Pueblo Naso

• Status: done, but the project continue

• Ecotourism development in the intermunicipal park of the Mahogany wetlands in Rama-Bluefields Nicaragua.

• Partner Grantee: Bluefields Indian &Caribbean University

• Status: Done: 2004-2005

Prospective tourism work

To Northern CA (Guatemala) • Potential partners identified to work in tourism

projects:

CONAP (National Protected Areas Council);

Helvetas (swiss international cooperation) they are working closely with municipal parks in the highlands of Guatemala.

Counterpart International (projects of communitary tourism, marketing)

Prospective tourism work

• We want to obtain Conservation Agreements (CSP) to work in 5 places in Guatemala (2008). The local comunities are interesting in ecoturism projects!

• Apply the “value chain” in the future projects of CI.

Challenges• Conserve the biodiversity and improve

the quality of the local people that live in or near the protected/key areas.

• Demonstrate to local people that is better “sale the communities” using the conservation of the nature and the culture.

Lesson learned

• The participation of all the actors is important to ensure the success of the projects.

• The genuine respect of the differents cultures and customs is important

• The tourism projects cant “sale” like the magic and unique solution of the economic problems in a community (they need integrate solutions)

Lesson learned…• The projects shouldn´t assume “foreign

prescriptions” have to work in other place…is better to build an “own prescription” in a participative way.

• In the begining of a project the community have to know the success of a project require: time, training, dedication and to persevere.

• The experiences exchange is a good way to motivate the communities and persons, to know “we are not alone in the conservation fight”

and to the end……..