In recent years, the loss of tropical rainforests has emerged as one of the leading causes of both global warming and decreased biological diversity. Given this, the preservation of the Mesoamerican “hotspot” – an area stretching from the northern Yucatan to Guatemala -- has become a top priority for conservationists around the globe.

The current rapid deforestation of this hotspot finds its roots in the extreme poverty of the indigenous people who live there. With little or no resources other than the rainforest itself, local communities are often forced to turn to slash and burn agriculture, logging and land development to survive – and the problem is only growing. If current deforestation rates continue, Mesoamerica’s forests will disappear in by the year 2015.

While traditional conservation programs rarely include local communities in their efforts, Rainforest2Reef embraces indigenous participation. By working directly with local communities, Rainforest2Reef has an opportunity to protect a crucial biological corridor within the Mesoamerican hotspot: an area extending from the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, to the Mesoamerican Reef.

Read more about our current efforts, including: