Has the Corazón project effectively protected environmental resources, despite the challenges of governing transboundary space, managing donor expectations, and incorporating authentic local participation?
Welcome to our blog on the Corazón Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Corazón TBR). This transfrontier project is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC), which connects about 600 national parks along Mexico and Central America (Global Transboundary Protected Areas Network 2007). The Corazón (“heart”) project is situated at the center of the MBC, along the border of eastern Honduras and northern Nicaragua.
The intent of this blog is to actively explore the background of this project, specifically in terms of the success of regional cooperation in protecting Mesoamerica’s national parks. To frame our study, we investigate how concepts of power, space, and territory have affected the mapping of the Corazón. Then, we conduct an analysis of financial and legal documents, research articles, case studies, and project proposals and appraisals to determine the project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In conclusion, we assert that the following issues are important concerns for the successful regional management of the environmental welfare of the area:
- governing transboundary space
- managing donor expectations
- incorporating authentic local participation
Our analysis concludes that these challenges are not merely the obstacles we had expected them to be–in fact, they are formidable barriers to the project’s real initiation. The project has therefore been at a standstill, which has only been worsened by the Honduran coup in June 2009 (Kaimowitz 2010). In order for the Corazón TBR project to get off the ground and begin protecting the environment, a more stable political structure must be established with a priority of overcoming these crucial issues. Our analysis therefore extends a series of recommendations based on these challenges.
The highlighted area above indicates the designated Corazón region as indicated by the United Nations Environmental Programme Assessment Report (2007).
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This research was completed as a geography class project at the University of Richmond. The findings reflect the opinions of student co-authors.