The British Ambassador for Honduras, Nick Whittingham, held a meeting in Tegucigalpa with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Enrique Reina, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, which formalises the cooperation between both governments to implement the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund.
The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund is a programme developed by the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) which will deliver poverty reduction, biodiversity protection and conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes across six biologically diverse landscapes worldwide.
The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund will invest up to US$20 million between 2023 and 2029 in Mesoamerica, covering areas of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In Honduras, the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund will implement projects in the Region of Trifinio and in La Mosquitia.
The work of the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund will also support host governments in meeting international commitments acquired under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030.
Projects will be delivered locally in communities with the support of environmental organisations, academic institutions, and the private sector. The projects will have as an objective to accelerate the recovery of nature through activities such as supporting sustainable agriculture practices; promoting the sustainable management of resources; and strengthening the rights and capacities of indigenous people in order to better manage their natural resources.
Defra is currently in the process of selecting a Delivery Partner to lead the programme in the Mesoamerican Landscape, and expect projects to begin work during the second quarter of 2023.
The fund is classified as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and it is part of United Kingdom's commitment to international development.
