About the Program

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Program

Additional Information:

If you are interested in Reading more about the program, our document for the Establishment of the BES Program and the Multidonor Fund will give you a history of how the BES program was established and includes other important topics such as objectives, vision, and components. Additionally, our overview document will allow you to have a summary of who we are, what we do, and how to engage with us. The fact sheets provide information on how to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services into key economic sectors. Finally, the trailer of our video and our Newsletter can give you additional information of the program.

Why Ecosystems Matter for Development?

Latin America and the Caribbean possess complex and varied terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems that are home to a vast array of birds, mammals, plants, and amphibians. Some of the region’s richest ecosystems are:

• the Amazon,
• the Pantanal,
• the Chaco,
• the Cerrado,
• the Tropical Andes,
• the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef,
• the Guiana Shield,
• and the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem.

This wealth of biodiversity and ecosystems generate important life-supporting benefits for people including: food, shelter, clean water and air, flood mitigation, disease and pest control, breathtaking landscapes, and sacred places. These benefits, also known as ecosystem services, directly support sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and tourism, which together account for:

• 15% of the region’s gross domestic product
• 17% of its labor force
• 50% of total exports