Today’s Solutions: June 24, 2025

Mesoamerica’s five greatest forests are home to more than 7.5 percent of the planet’s biodiversity, such as the jaguar and the endangered Baird’s tapir. In an effort to ensure the protection of these lush wildlife habitats, NGOs, together with national governments and local communities, have recently partnered up to launch the Five Great Forests Initiative.

The partnership aims to protect the largest forests in Mesoamerica: the Maya Forest in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize; Moskitia in Nicaragua and Honduras; Indio Maíz-Tortuguero in Nicaragua and Costa Rica; Talamanca Region in Costa Rica and Panama; and the Darien in Panama and Colombia.

Together, the forests span more than 120,000 km2 and serve as a vital environmental resource. The five forests hold approximately 50% of the forest carbon in the region and provide valuable ecosystem services, such as clean water, clean air, food security, and climate stability to more than 5 million people.

Through the Five Great Forests Initiative, the collaborating partners are committing to addressing the drivers of deforestation; improving forest governance by strengthening the management of protected areas, community forests, and Indigenous territories; and improving livelihoods with forest-friendly and climate-resilient economic alternatives.

Over the next 10 years, the aim is to ensure that: no wildlife species in the great forests go extinct; 10 million hectares of land are protected; 500,000 hectares of forest are restored; and illegal cattle ranching within the boundaries of the five forests ceases entirely.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

New rules allow thousands more Australians to donate plasma, regardless of se...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a historic shift for both public health and LGBTQIA+ rights, Australia is lifting long-standing restrictions that effectively ...

Read More

Brewing better health: Harvard study explains what coffee has to do with agin...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Your daily cup of coffee might be doing more than waking you up; it could be helping you ...

Read More

These solar-powered barges can scoop up 50 tons of plastic from rivers each day

While removing the plastic waste that currently contaminates the ocean today will be crucial for protecting marine ecosystems, it is arguably more important that ...

Read More

What cities can learn from Spokane’s approach to homelessness

The common approach cities take to deal with homelessness is tough enforcement: ticketing people for panhandling or sleeping in doorways or busing them to ...

Read More