On October 18th and 19th 2016, Haiti reached a milestone in its evolution towards the sustainable management of its natural resources. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded ecological baseline assessment for the Three Bays National Park – a 75,000 hectare coastal marine reserve on Haiti’s North coast, was presented to great acclaim and significant national media … [Read more...] about New data for conservation planning in Haiti
Making Biodiversity Mainstream: Countdown to the COP 13
In less than a month, about 10,000 participants, including representatives from country parties, observer countries, international organizations and other interested parties will meet in Cancun for the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 13). Participants will negotiate agreements and commitments to catalyze the … [Read more...] about Making Biodiversity Mainstream: Countdown to the COP 13
How Transportation Affects Nature and Vice Versa
We often ask ourselves, what do ecosystem services have to do with transportation? At the IDB, when we hear that the Environment, Rural Development, Disaster Risk Management Division (RND) has a program to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services into productive sector and infrastructure (BIO Program), we might well ask: “Is this another futile initiative?” That’s why I … [Read more...] about How Transportation Affects Nature and Vice Versa
Hottest year ever should spur Latin America on climate change
Four years ahead of schedule, the Paris climate change agreement is expected to enter into force next month. Latin American and Caribbean countries played a major role in the diplomatic push to secure the agreement and are now making progress on ratifying it. As of today, over a dozen countries from the region have also ratified – including its largest emitters, Brazil and … [Read more...] about Hottest year ever should spur Latin America on climate change
Water Is Life: How To Preserve This Valuable Resource
The Argentinean province of San Juan is a land of deserts and mountains, surrounded by the high peaks of the Andes, the birthplace of the rivers that crisscross the region. This arid province, where rainfall is scarce--hardly reaching an annual average of 3.9 inches (or 100 millimeters)--depends upon snowmelt from the Andes for its water supply; this, in turn, depends upon … [Read more...] about Water Is Life: How To Preserve This Valuable Resource