The International Workshop for Exchange of Experiences in Mangrove Conservation and Restoration will be held in the country in the framework of the Project Restoration, Conservation and Sustainable Management of the Mangroves of Costa Rica and Benin Against Climate Change. This will be the fourth workshop to be held in Costa Rica this year, since Colombia, Panama and Ecuador have participated in previous experiences.
The workshop will allow the exchange of knowledge and experiences related to conservation, mangrove restoration, models of community participation and environmental education related to these ecosystems, which will include the participation of national and international experts, government institutions, civil organizations and community groups.
This workshop has the support of the French Fund for the Global Environment (Philippines, Costa Rica-Benin, Senegal-Togo-Benin).
In addition, it allows the monitoring of the results of the national initiatives previously identified by the project Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the coordination of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), to work towards the goal of establishing a national protocol for the rehabilitation of mangroves.
Mangroves are essential ecosystems for numerous plant and animal species, some of them threatened. These environments are crucial in the fight against climate change. The integration of coastal wetlands and mangroves in the category of blue carbon sinks (carbon fixed in marine ecosystems) has been internationally recognized.
The project seeks to improve the mitigation and adaptation to climate change of the coastal wetlands of Costa Rica and Benin by restoring mangroves, ensuring their sustainable management and favoring exchanges of South-South cooperation. It also transfers technologies and competences developed in Mexico by the Autonomous University of Campeche to Costa Rica and Benin to make the community restoration of pilot mangrove sites with a perspective of large-scale replicability.
The political responsibility of the project is in the hands of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE). The project management is in the hands of SINAC. Fundación Neotrópica is in charge of the technical and financial aspects, as well as the facilitation of the entire project, which officially began this year and will be extended for the next three years.