Washington, Oct 3 (DPA) The United States cut Guatemala's debt in return for a pledge by the Central American country to invest millions in protecting its tropical forests.
The deal commits Guatemala to offer $24 million to non-governmental organisations and other groups over the next 15 years for environmental projects, the US Treasury Department said.
The US is contributing $15 million and two private groups, Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy, are pledging a total of $2 million to the project, a Treasury statement said.
The funds will help conserve Guatemala's high-altitude forests, rain forests and coastal mangrove swamps, home to hundreds of species of songbirds and waterfowl that migrate between the two countries.
The regions are also home to rare and endangered species such as the quetzal bird, jaguars and margays, a wild cat similar to ocelots.
The US has reached similar deals with seven Latin American and Caribbean countries as well as the Philippines. The deal with Guatemala is the largest in the US programme's history, the government said.