NEWSLETTER OF THE MESOAMERICAN -- BIODIVERSITY LEGAL PROJECT -- Summer,1993

IDEADS                         CEDARENA                     CGR
Instituto de Derecho Ambiental Centro de Derecho Ambiental  Center for Govt.
y Desarrollo Sostenible        y de los Recursos Naturales  Responsibility
Guatemala, Guatemala           San Jose, Costa Rica         Univ. of Florida
                                                            College of Law
                                                            Gainesville, FL

The Mesoamerican Biodiversity Legal Project is a cooperative

effort of attorneys from the nations of Central America and

Mexico to study and improve national and international law

affecting the conservation and utilization of biodiversity in

Mesoamerica. The Project is supported by funding from the

North-South Center of the University of Miami, the Ford

Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the regional NGO

consortia PACA and Paseo Pantera.



NATIONAL LAW COMPONENT



Attorneys in each of the countries of Central America and

Mexico are closely analyzing all existing legislation affecting the

establishment and management of protected areas in the region.

Areas targeted for study include conservation funding,

administration of protected areas, land tenure policies, forestry

practices and land use restrictions on private property. Based on

their research, model national protected areas legislation will be

prepared.



INTERNATIONAL LAW COMPONENT



At the international level, a process is underway to develop

model multilateral legal instruments to achieve the coordination

needed among the nations of Central America and Mexico for

the creation of a regional system of protected areas that will

function as an "effective Mesoamerican biological corridor." The

regional protected areas system is called for by the recently

signed Central American Biodiversity Treaty, and will help

implement the Central American nations' legal obligations under

the United Nations Framework Convention on Biological

Diversity.



INDIGENOUS LEGAL AFFAIRS



Recognizing the special importance of indigenous peoples in the

conservation of the region's remaining wildlands, project attorney

Jose Mendoza, a Guaymi from Panama, will be examining the

legal relationship between the national governments and

indigenous peoples in the management and conservation of

natural resources.  



REGIONAL POLICY CONFERENCES



With financial and logistical assistance from PACA, the Project

held its first regional conference in Costa Rica last June. During

the conference, project collaborators, policy makers, and other

conservation experts participated in working groups covering

diverse topics relating to biodiversity conservation in Central

America.  A second workshop to present the results of the

project will be held in March of 1994.



ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION 



The regional conference provided the opportunity to inaugurate

the first electronic network for environmental lawyers in the

region.  The U.S. based environmental law NGO E-LAW teamed

up with Acceso, a Central American foundation specializing in

communications among NGOs, to train conference participants

in the use of the Nicarao electronic mail and conferencing

system.  An electronic conference, entitled "elaw.acceso," has

been established for use by Project lawyers, and is also posted

on Econet.  



REGIONAL COLLABORATIONS 



Since its inception, the Project has initiated a series of regional

collaborations and legal assistance projects: 



 - In March of 1993, project attorneys  Steve Mack and Lizbeth

Espinoza of CEDARENA, and Alejandra Sobenes of IDEADS,

travelled to Honduras to assist the Honduran Government in the

drafting of detailed regulations for the establishment and

management of protected areas in that country.  The project's

participation was part of a process of technical assistance to the

Honduran Government by the Paseo Pantera Consortium.



 - At the request of Jorge Cabrera, General Secretary of the

Central American Commission on Environment and

Development, project attorney Alejandra Sobenes is preparing

draft guidelines to govern the operation of the Provisional

Council on Protected Areas recently established under the

Central American Biodiversity Treaty. 



 - An ad hoc working group of international environmental law

experts is being formed within the Project to develop a regional

consensus on the appropriate legal tools to implement the treaty. 

The working group will hold its first meeting during the First

International Wildlife Management Congress in Costa Rica in

September of 1993.  



INBio PARTICIPATION



INBio, Costa Rica's National Biodiversity Institute, is also

working with the Project. INBio's attorney, Carlos Manuel

Rodriguez, will work with country collaborators to develop a

comparative analysis of wildlife laws that affect the conservation

and use of biological diversity in Central America.



BORDER PARKS INITIATIVE



In conjunction with Joaquin Tacsan, legal advisor to the Arias

Foundation, the Project is seeking funding to examine the legal

structure of the region's existing and proposed border parks, an

area of particular interest to the Arias Foundation that is

considered crucial to the consolidation of a regional protected

areas system.



LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO NGOs



The project anticipates receiving limited funding to provide legal

assistance to environmental NGOs in the region on an as needed

basis through its network of country collaborations.  NGOs

interested in learning more about this program should contact the

project coordinators listed below or post a message on the

"elaw.acesso" electronic conference.



PUBLICATIONS



- With the support of the North South Center, the Project plans

to publish a book containing the results of its first year of

research.                                                                     



- Funding is also being sought to publish profiles of national

protected areas legislation for Central America in a proposed

Journal of Central American Environmental Law.  



- Project Attorneys Tom Ankersen and Richard Hamann from

the University of Florida will present a paper entitled "A Model

Legal Framework for the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor" at

the International Wildlife Management Congress in September.



- The Project will continue to publish news of its activities and

relevant developments in legislation and policy affecting

biodiversity in the region, including monitoring the  ratification

and implementation of international biodiversity agreements, and

national legislation.  To receive the newsletter, contact one of the

Project Coordinators at the addresses listed below.  The

newsletter will also be posted on the "elaw.acceso" and

"elaw.public.interest" electronic conferences. 





Project Coordinators:



Steve Mack and Rodrigo Barahona

CEDARENA

Apdo. 134-2050

San Jose, Costa Rica

Tel: (506) 25-1019, 24-8239

Fax: (506) 25-5111

cedarena@nicarao.apc.org



Alejandra Sobenes 

IDEADS

3 Ave 4-68 Zona 1 Apto.B

Guatemala, Guatemala

Tel/Fax: (502) 2 53-1987

ideads@nicarao.apc.org



Tom Ankersen and Richard Hamann

Center for Governmental Responsibility

University of Florida College of Law

230 Bruton Geer

Gainesville, FL 32611  USA

Tel. (904)392-2237

Fax. (904) 392-1457

cgrtom@nervm.nrdc.ufl.edu



Indigenous Affairs Advisor: 



Jose Mendoza

Panama

Tel. (507) 24-5098

Fax. (507) 24-0782





Country Collaborators:



Panama: 

Freddy Blanco

Tel: (507) 23-9279

Fax: (507) 29-1678

        

Nicaragua: 

Lilliam Jarquin

Tel/Fax. (505) (2) 61-3255

Marco Gonzalez

Tel/Fax. (505) (2) 23254



Honduras: 

Clarissa Vega de Ferrera; Mario Vallejo

Tel/Fax. (504) 38-6372



Mexico: 

Diana Ponce-Nava; Marina Perez

Tel. 5 662-4581

Fax. 5 661-0166



El Salvador:                                                                  

Jose Luis Rodriquez

Tel. 503-77-0622



Belize:

(to be announced)
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