Located in Central America, south of Mexico, Guatemala is a biodiversity hotspot, which, due to conditions typical of climates and altitudes, presents a wide range of ecosystems. This makes Guatemala one of the 19 members of the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries, which functions as a consultative and cooperative mechanism established to promote the common interests and priorities of conservation-related parties and sustainable use of biological diversity.

In 2014 Guatemala assumed the presidency of this Group.

In Guatemala, forests represent approximately 34% of the territory, of which 52% is located in protected areas (National Forest Institute, National Council of Protected Areas, Guatemala Valley University and Rafael Landívar University).
 
Although the net deforestation rate has declined, the country is losing an annual average of 1 percent of its current total forest cover, that is, 132,137.15 hectares (1,321.37 square kilometers) annually.

Deforestation causes almost 50% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the country and increases vulnerability to climate change. (Environmental Profile of Guatemala, 2012).

To address this problem, the State of Guatemala has made great efforts to counteract deforestation and reduce the impacts of climate change, through the generation of laws, policies and regulations, which are being articulated in the National REDD + Strategy, through which it hopes to be able to fulfill many of the commitments that the country has acquired at the international level (Bonn Challenge, Paris Agreements, Biological Diversity Convention, among others).