An Overview Of Our Solution
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: North America
Address
San Jose
Costa Rica
Population impacted
Size
The direct impact area of work encompasses more than 100,000.00 ha.
Major Occupations
Local resources the community depends on, and for what purpose
Local threats to resources
Climate Hazards
Level of sensitivity
Level of adaptive capacity
Diversification into sustainable livelihoods, food security improvement and the growth of risk management culture within the community are all implied in Fundecor?s integral landscape management work. To date Fundecor?s accomplishments include: reversing the deforestation process in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range Conservation Area, influencing the evolution of Sarapiqu�?s economic model from an exclusive intensive agriculture and livestock system to a forest covered landscape where sustainable timber production and ecotourism have blossom as alternative income generating activities, as well as assuring a sustain flow of information and technical assistance for a network of 300+ farmers. Drawing upon these achievements and knowing the predicted climate scenarios, our long term goal is to go beyond the forest. We aim at promoting the integral management of all natural resources and productive activities in the area, improving coverage in forest protection and settling governances and financial schemes for the continuous construction of a Resilient Community in a Climate Smart Territory. In particular, Fundecor plans to continue providing technical assistance in sustainable forest management and reforestation, complementary to current effort joint administration of the National Protected Areas. Fundecor wants to apply learned lessons in other conservation areas while improving the protection, control and services tasks in more than 50 000 ha of protected areas within the Central Volcanic Mountain Range Conservation Area. Additionally, it is key for Fundecor to keep applying and complementing with innovative financial schemes Costa Rica?s Payment of Environmental Services Program. Furthermore, building upon such working platform we expect to mainstream resource adaptation practices, concepts and knowledge. Fundecor seeks to tackle food security threats by continuing to steer with concrete practical proposals the current production models under a vision of integral landscape management. Finally, our organization aims at improving the quality of life and resilience of the communities living in the buffer zone of the Braulio Carrillo National Park while protecting local ecosystems with an Adaptation and Biodiversity Credit program for rural development.
Ecological Costs
Ecological Benefit
Economic Indicators used to measure benefit
Forest coverage area Biomass measurements Improvement in water quality
Economic Cost
Human development indicators from national census and
Economic Benefit
Additional income for forest owners Decrease of dependency of traditional risky livelihoods
What were/are the challenges your community faced in implementing this solution?
The main challenge faced was to establish trust. To create an enabling environment that would lead to communal forest owners to trust and take the risk of protecting the forest for the sake of receiving ? at that moment- a potential payment for environmental services, or develop a sustainable forestry management system. The challenge was overcome through consistent and permanent outreach and technical capacity assistance process.
Describe the community-based process used to develop the solution including tools and processes used
Assessments of different nature have been conducted by Fundecor and external parties in order to feed, plan, monitor and verify the proposed solutions. First, and foremost, as the main source of information to understand vulnerability in the area, Fundecor has developed a detailed forest cadaster and its corresponding database holds information on each of the forest owners to whom Fundecor has ever given technical assistance in a time span of 22 years; information includes forest management plans, Permanent Sample Plots register and biologic monitoring. Information has been the basis of field monitoring, reporting and verification systems protocols used nationally, and the basis of time series analysis that have help understand landscape effects of land use change. Complementarily, more than 300 structured forest conservation and management agreements exist with such forest owners, which have allowed identifying and capturing social perceptions regarding direct field practices. Furthermore, Fundecor?s forestry engineers operate under a dynamic outreach and extension trustful relationship with each of the forest owners, which provides a unique workforce to explore adaptation action implementation at a local level. For an effective vulnerability analysis of our area of work, such information has been studied by overcrossing valuable information generated by assessments carried out by several public institutions. Among these assessments we should stress out: i. the national census of 2011 which provides a complete socio-economical assessment of the local population, ii. economic assessment of the direct and indirect costs of Climate Change developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock jointly with the Ministry of Planning, and iii. Periodically updates on projections of future climate scenarios published by the National Meteorological Institute. On top of this valuable information, Fundecor considers associated input from technical field evaluations carried out under by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Global Conservation Standard regular audits. Aside from the 300 plus network of forest owner, Fundecor participates actively in different community associations, from Touristic Chamber to the local municipality. Our participatory planning method includes the organization of workshops with local farmers and forest owners as well as outreach through site visits to potential beneficiaries of the project. These visits allow the development and research team to acquire and document under technical and scientific parameters, firsthand knowledge of the living conditions, threats and livelihoods of the rural community. Partners: Private landowners (farmers) + Direct beneficiaries of the project as recipients of the Payment of Environmental Services (PES), technical assistance in forest management and support in wood commercialization. + Own and conserve the forests + Potential to diversify livelihoods + Initiate rural development actions through the participation in needs identification workshops +Active participation in the planning and monitoring of the project MINAE + Ministry of Environment and Energy + Worked jointly with Fundecor in the conceptualization and legalization of the PES Program. + Leads environmental policies and strategies SINAC ? ACCVC - PNBC + Belongs to MINAE + Public administrator of National Protected Areas + Manages, with the administrative support of Fundecor, more than 200,000.00 ha of Protected Areas within the Mountain Volcanic Range Conservation Area + Actively participates in planning and monitoring of Fundecor?s Biodiversity Credit pilot project DCC + In charge of government?s Climate Change policies and strategies + History of with Fundecor goes back to the joint implementation efforts outlined by the CARFIX and OCIC processes. FONAFIFO + In charge of the administration of PES Program and Costa Rica?s REDD+ strategy Municipality of Sarapiqu� + Local Government GCS/FSC + Provides methodological mechanisms and endorsement for Fundecor?s work through performance and compliance audits. + Raises funds for project implementation in collaboration with Fundecor Fundecor looks back at more than 20 years of bridging the gap between sustainable development initiatives in a fragmented landscape. The construction of a Resilient Community in a Climate Smart Territory is a never ending process. A challenge for which the Municipality of Sarapiqu� is eager to tackle ? and become the first carbon neutral and climate resilient county in Costa Rica -, and for which Fundecor is ready to provide the technical and strategic guidance. Fundecor is a non-governmental organization with an interdisciplinary staff of more than 30 people composed of biologists, natural resources managers, educators, forestry engineers and development planners, all of them working under an integrated resource management model. The organization has a ?top of the notch? GIS lab and a 22 year old field based monitoring system, that consolidates the organization?s experience and role as innovative technical trusted advisor for resource management scheme, developed at field level, but replicated nationally, such as Costa Rica?s Environmental Services Payment system. In terms of administrative capacity, we have a 20+ year clean audit track following USAID standards.
Climate hazard of concern
How does your solution reduce the exposure of and buffer/protect the ecosystem affected?
Forest conservation, reforestation and sustainable forest management in 40000 ha located in the buffer zone of the 46000 ha Braulio Carrillo National park contributes to the reduction of ecosystem exposure and protects its integrity under a functional landscape management approach.
How has your solution increased the capacity of the ecosystem to adapt to potential climate changes?
The conservation of several forest units adjacent to national protected areas provides connectivity between forest ecosystems.
How does your solution reduce the exposure of and buffer/protect the communities affected?
Forest coverage has helped diversify local economy, allowing for sustainable forestry and ecotourism to surge as alternative sources of income to traditional agriculture and livestock activities.
How does your solution reduce the sensitivity of the communities affected?
By implementing a Payment for Environmental Services, which provides 64 dollars per hectare, an economic recognition that values preservation of forests has been achieved. This payment reduces the community?s sensitivity by diversifying the income of families? owners of forest, especially of those who depend mainly on their land to subsist.
How has your solution increased the capacity of local communities to adapt to potential climate changes?
Capacity building, community empowerment and engagement have been key elements in the success of Fundecor model of work. These pillars have allowed the consolidation of the relationship with 300 + farmers. As a consequence of our effort awareness is raised and a fertile terrain for the development of a representative governance structure has been established.
Can this solution be replicated elsewhere?
Yes. Actually, Fundecor experience was upscale nationally in Costa Rica, allowing the country to reverse its deforestation rate and grow forest cover from 23% in the late eighties up to the current 53%. Internationally, key elements of such model have been transferred to Mexico, Ecuador and Peru.