Photography Sebastian Belaistegui Photos | Juan Pablo Moreiras
Exhibition "Mesoamerican Biological Corridor: Space of Life”. 2007

In 1997 the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor was initiated, establishing links between protected areas of Central America and proposing low-impact developments to maintain corridors between them. Earlier, in 1990, the Paseo Pantera Consortium (Wildlife Conservation Society and Caribbean Conservation Corporation) had proposed a similar idea known as the Paseo Pantera project.

The MBC is a system of land planning, consisting of four types of natural areas: core areas, which are exclusively for the conservation of ecosystems and species and in which human activities are prohibited; buffer zones, which are of restricted use by themselves;  corridors, which are areas that facilitate movement, dispersal and migration of species, and in which human activities are of low impact; multiple use areas which may include areas devoted to various activities such as agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forest management, etc.

The MBC was established in 1997 by the governments of the countries in the Mesoamerican region: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Mexico. Its objectives are to maintain biological diversity, reduce fragmentation and improve the connectivity of the landscape and ecosystems, and promote sustainable production processes that improve the quality of life of the local human populations who utilise, manage and conserve biodiversity.