Public-Private-NGO Conservation Alliance Invests $100 Million in Mexico

The biodiverse Lacandon rainforest bordering Guatemala functions as a biological corridor between the two countries. The Usumacinta River, one of the largest rivers in Mexico, flows through the rainforest.

The forest holds most of Mexico's tropical trees, 30 percent of the country's mammal species, 50 percent of bird species and 50 percent of daytime butterflies. Many are endangered, such as the red macaw, the eagle, the jaguar, the tapir, the spider monkey and saraguato, and the swamp crocodile. It is home to several indigenous Maya peoples.