Bank investments in tourism and other coastal development projects have been on the rise, generating an interest in the development of instruments and tools that would more effectively inform Bank staff on critical issues, and support the management of the environmental and social risks of the...

Catastrophic deforestation and environmental degradation have become habits of thought about forest landscapes in Latin America's tropics. Yet these truisms blind analysts to three surprising changes. First, deforestation has slowed dramatically. Next, forest resurgence-largely a function of...

This document discusses the impact that global climate change has on food production both globally and in Latin America and the Caribbean. The author discusses environmental issues including extreme temperatures, water scarcity, flooding, and soil erosion. Using available information, this...

The last decade has seen a significant increase in the exports of several Latin American and Caribbean countries to destinations within and beyond the region. The increase in trade links has not, however, been accompanied by a proportional increase in reciprocal investments among the trading...

This paper summarizes environmental considerations that the Bank should take into account in preparing its new country strategy with Bolivia (2011-2015). Some of these are already contemplated to a certain extent in the existing strategy. Following this introductory section, which briefly...

This discussion paper starts with a brief summary of several important existing Bank-supported environment-related interventions. It is followed by a review of pending issues associated with some of these initiatives, specifically those associated with possible new Bank-financed infrastructure...

This paper provides a nontechnical introduction and practical guide to a relatively low cost method that relies on remote sensing data to support ex-post analysis of forest conservation policies. It describes the defining features of this approach, catalogues and briefly reviews the studies that...

In November 2008, as an input into the country strategy update that was being prepared, an Environmental Sectorial Note (ESN) was prepared by Bank technical staff. This paper examines the extent to which the concerns and priorities identified in the ESN were picked up in the country strategy...

The new Country Strategy for Honduras represents a unique opportunity for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to apply its commitment under the Ninth General Capital Increase (GCI-9) to protect the environment, to respond to climate change, to promote renewable energy and ensure food...

This paper explores options for supporting the Government of Suriname's Green Vision and Strategy, with its corresponding policies and activities, as input for the Bank's 2011-2014 Country Strategy. It briefly describes Suriname's salient environmental and social characteristics and its major...