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.
For more information about the project or UNEP’s work in climate adaptation, contact us here UNEP-Climate-Adaptation@un.org
