Mapping conservation investments : an assessment of biodiversity funding in Latin America and the Caribbean

Biological diversity plays a critical role in maintaining the ecological processes upon which people, ecosystems, and economies depend. The Latin American and Caribbean region is widely accepted as the repository of some of some of the world's richest biodiversity containing 40 percent of Earth's plant and animal species and probably the highest floral diversity in the world. Unfortunately, the region's biodiversity - terrestrial, freshwater, and marine - continues to face significant and growing threats from over harvesting, overpopulation, land-based pollution, and unsustainable agricultural, industrial, and tourism development. This study aims to 1) understand funding patterns for biodiversity in the region; 2) ascertain funding gaps, especially for high-priority eco-regions; and 3) encourage greater donor communication and awareness. The report maps funding by donor type, project category, country, eco-region, larger aggregates, and by major ecosystem types and major habitat types.