We will empower 4 local Pacific Coast community groups in Costa Rica so that they can share their best practices in Mangrove Conservation. These groups will maintain 4 mangrove nurseries for 2 years in order to plant at least 10.000 mangroves that will benefit national Climate Change mitigation and adaptation goals and will serve as a breeding ground for clams, mollusks and other marine species. A healthy mangrove ecosystem will improve participants resilience & quality of life.
These communities in Costa Rica's Pacific coast face lack of opportunities, poor infrastructure and have scarce education. Loss of mangroves increases loss of productivity for fishing activity, deepening social and environmental injustice of its inhabitants. The reduction of the original mangrove areas and the degradation of the environmental services they provide, directly affects the quality of life of the coastal communities.
Fundacion Neotropica has promoted empowerment community processes including Local Implementation Units consisting of stakeholder groups from nearby communities. The model is based on the methodology known as "Farmer to Farmer", which creates a team of local promoters belonging to the beneficiary communities. Reforestation will be held by these groups with the participation of students from local public schools.
Through this project, fishermen and their families will insure the productivity and sustainability of their economic activities. It will also provide the mangroves and all of the fauna that inhabits in them, the resistance to endure the harsh consequences from the climate change. Having all this biodiversity in the Pacific coast, this will provide opportunities for ecotourism to develop and communities to grow.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).