According to the UN Environmental Program,  Latin America and the Caribbean have the greatest biological diversity on the planet with over 60% of global terrestrial life, and diverse freshwater and marine species.  In spite of the region’s rich biodiversity and natural capital, its eco-systems are at risk due to growing urbanization, industrial pollution (including spills from urban development, the oil sector and mining), illegal logging and clear cutting of rainforests and unsustainable fishing practices. In fact, from 1970 to 2016, the region’s biodiversity has plummeted by 94% according to a recent report published by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London. 

Beyond the immediate environmental threats across Latin America & the Caribbean, cities across the region are now more susceptible to frequent flooding, droughts, wildfires, and other extreme climate-induced events, including severe hurricanes, as well as biodiversity and habitat loss. In the case of the recent forest fires that swept across Bolivia and Brazil late last year, there is already evidence that they disrupted rainfall distribution across South America’s grain and beef producing regions for years to come.