Biodiverse Landscapes Fund Launches in El Salvador

• The Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica project drives actions to protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change in Trifinio, a border region of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
  
  
  

The British Embassy in El Salvador in partnership with the Government of El Salvador celebrated the in-country launch of the project «Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica», funded through the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF).

The event was held on August 12th at the Metapan Lagoon followed by a site visit of the area where seven communities are already coordinating activities within the framework of the project for the elaboration of a Climate-Smart Community Development Plan and to build capacity for regenerative agriculture.

During the event, British Ambassador David Lelliott delivered equipment to prevent and tackle fires, in line with the support that El Salvador will receive to reinforce forest protection.

His Excellency Dr. Felix Ulloa, Vice President of the Republic of El Salvador, delivered the event´s closing remarks.

Also in attendance were Jorge Urbina, National Executive Director of El Trifinio; Karla de Palma, General Director of the El Salvador Agency for International Cooperation (ESCO); Lisseth Hernández, Trinational Executive Secretary of the Trifinio Plan; Mario Jolón, representative of BLF-WCS; Juan José Sosa, local project coordinator on behalf of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center); Carlos Landaverde, Mayor of Metapán; and Zoila América Gutiérrez Villeda, President of the Siete Estrellas Water Committee.

The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund is financed with UK International Development funds from the UK Government. BLF supports poverty reduction, biodiversity protection and conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes across six biologically diverse landscapes worldwide. One of which is the Mesoamerica Landscape, that covers areas in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In Mesoamerica, the BLF will invest up to approximately $19 million dollars over the next six years.

In the Trifinio Region of El Salvador, the project´s investment will be close to $2 million dollars and the activities are being implemented through the organisations Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and CATIE, in collaboration with the Trinational Commission of the Trifinio Plan (CTPT) and local partners.

The project is based on four components:

• Prosperous and resilient communities: activities to develop sustainable income streams and implement climate-adapted rural development with proper social safeguards.
• Protected areas and species protection: ensuring well-governed conservation areas and targeted protection activities for endangered species.
• Enabling policy and financing mechanisms: building consensus, multisector collaboration, and policy reforms to incentivize forest protection.
• Learning and adaptive management: implementing a monitoring and evaluation framework as a core component to evaluate impact and guide decision-making.

The launch of the Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica project marks a significant step towards biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation in Mesoamerica, consolidating international cooperation and the commitment of local communities to the protection of their natural resources.