Key Figures
- Budget: USD 6 million (Co-finance: USD 29.7 million)
- Executing Entities: El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN); Jamaica’s Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change (MWLECC); Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)
- Area to rehabilitate:
El Salvador - 1,000 hectares of sustainable agriculture; 16 kilometres of riparian forest restored; 150 hectares of critical ecosystems restored.
Jamaica - 44,000 trees planted for watershed restoration; 2 hectares of wetland rehabilitated; 2.3 hectares restored in a park, including 1,400 trees planted.
Mexico - 3,600 metres of riparian corridor restored; 200 m connectivity corridor between EbA action gardens; 2,000 metres of linear park restored - Beneficiaries: 194,090 (115,500 in El Salvador; 42,000 in Jamaica and 36,590 in Mexico)
- Fund: Special Climate Change Fund
- Timeframe: 2017 - 2022
Description
The rapid urbanization of cities in Latin America and the Caribbean is resulting in socio-economic problems and the degradation of urban and peri-urban ecosystems, both of which are exacerbated by climate change. The project aims to address the vulnerability of urban communities to climate change in three medium-sized cities: San Salvador (El Salvador), Kingston (Jamaica) and Xalapa (Mexico) through the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation approaches and their integration into urban planning.
In San Salvador, a degraded watershed will be restored with reforestation and conservation agriculture approaches. This will reduce runoff and erosion during heavy rainfall and increase ground water recharge. In Kingston, a watershed will be restored using native tree species to mitigate the impacts of floods and droughts. In Xalapa, revegetation and soil conservation will be undertaken along a stream using species adapted to flooding. At the urban landscape scale, permeable walkways will be constructed to promote rainwater infiltration, and an artificial wetland and a riparian park will be established. At the household scale, ecological sanitation plans will be developed, and rainwater harvesting systems constructed at schools and public buildings.
Media & Resources
- Project website
- GEF project page
- Story: “Sponge City”: San Salvador uses nature to fight floods
- Story: Banking on nature: A Mexican city adapts to climate change
- Video: Regreening San Salvador to fight climate change
- Case study for Xalapa
- Case study for San Salvador
- Case study for Kingston
- Methodology on Vulnerability Assessment
- YouTube channel
- Project factsheet
- Find more climate adaptation resources and multimedia
To explore UNEP's other EbA projects, click here.
