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- The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resourcesof El Salvador, CAF and GEF are promoting a new stage for the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Biosphere Reserve, which will contribute to restoring strategic ecosystems, strengthening the sustainable management of the territory and improving the environmental and economic resilience of communities in one of the most important biosphere reserves in El Salvador.
CARACAS, Venezuela – The Apaneca-Ilamatepec Biosphere Reserve is one of El Salvador’s most important ecological and productive territories due to its contribution to biodiversity conservation, water regulation, and the sustainability of key agricultural activities for local development. However, the expansion of unsustainable activities, loss of forest cover, soil erosion, landscape fragmentation, and the effects of climate change have increased pressure on this strategic territory.
Faced with this challenge, the national government of El Salvador, CAF and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are promoting the project “Building Sustainable and Resilient Productive Landscapes in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Biosphere Reserve”, an initiative approved by the GEF that seeks to strengthen the environmental and economic resilience of the territory through sustainable land management, ecological restoration and the strengthening of landscape governance.
“Landscape restoration requires solutions that integrate conservation, sustainable production, and community participation. This project represents an opportunity to generate lasting environmental benefits while strengthening local capacities to sustainably manage a territory of enormous importance to El Salvador,” stated Isabel Contreras, director general of Ecosystems and Biodiversity at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN).
The project will have a donation of USD 2 million from the GEF and will mobilise an additional USD 15.1 million in co-financing provided by CAF, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador (MARN) and the Organization of American States (OAS), reaching a total investment of more than USD 17 million for its implementation during the next 36 months.
A strategic landscape for biodiversity and water security
The Apaneca-Ilamatepec Biosphere Reserve faces increasing pressures from unsustainable land use practices in agricultural areas adjacent to protected zones that accelerate runoff and sedimentation, undermine watershed functions, and reduce the capacity of ecosystems to sustain key land-based ecosystem services.
The project is designed to address these factors by strengthening sustainable land management in productive landscapes, implementing specific restoration and rehabilitation actions in degraded areas (including riparian ecosystems and buffer zones), and improving the enabling conditions and management effectiveness needed to sustain these measures over time.
These challenges are compounded by issues related to integrated land-use planning, inter-institutional coordination, and the implementation of incentives to promote sustainable production and conservation models. The project will also foster the design of innovative environmental financing mechanisms.
The Organization of American States (OAS), an entity with extensive experience in integrated natural resource management, territorial governance, and cooperation for sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean, will be responsible for implementing the project. Its track record in planning processes, institutional coordination, and ecosystem management will contribute key technical and operational capabilities for the implementation of the actions planned for the reserve.
Restoring ecosystems while strengthening livelihoods
The intervention will promote extensive work with Nahuatl-Pipil communities on Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices, restoration of degraded areas, recovery of priority water bodies, strengthening of protected areas, and adoption of agroecological approaches in the reserve’s production systems. It also includes the development of technical tools, agricultural extension services, and training programs for small-scale producers and local organisations.
Among the planned actions are the development and implementation of a Sustainable Landscape Management Plan, the demonstrative restoration of degraded lands and water bodies, assisted natural regeneration, the strengthening of management plans for protected areas, and the generation of environmental, social, and economic indicators linked to water regulation and sustainable production.
One of the innovative elements of the initiative is the incorporation of financial mechanisms and incentives to promote sustainable practices. These include the design of green financing lines for small producers and rural MSMEs, as well as the pilot implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) mechanisms associated with water production and regulation.
“The resilience of productive landscapes depends on the ability to integrate conservation, economic development, and territorial governance. This project reflects CAF’s commitment to solutions that restore ecosystems, strengthen communities, and generate sustainable benefits in the long term,” highlighted Alicia Montalvo, CAF’s Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity Manager.
An investment for the resilience of the territory
The initiative aims to increase the environmental and economic resilience of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Biosphere Reserve through actions that contribute to reducing land degradation, strengthening water regulation, improving agricultural productivity, and consolidating restoration models that can be replicated in other territories.
The approval of the project marks a new stage for the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Biosphere Reserve and strengthens cooperation between the GEF, CAF, the ministry of environment and natural resources of El Salvador and the OAS to promote integrated solutions that contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, climate resilience and sustainable development of the country.