The British Embassy in El Salvador in partnership with the Government of El Salvador celebrated the in-country launch of the project «Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica», funded through the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF).  

The event was held on August 12^th at the Metapan Lagoon followed by a site visit of the area where seven communities are already coordinating activities within the framework of the project for the elaboration of a Climate-Smart Community Development Plan and to build capacity for regenerative agriculture. During the event, British Ambassador David Lelliott delivered equipment to prevent and tackle fires, in line with the support that El Salvador will receive to reinforce forest protection. His Excellency Dr. Felix Ulloa, Vice President of the Republic of El Salvador, delivered the event´s closing remarks. The National Executive Director of El Trifinio, Jorge Urbina, and the General Director of El Salvador Agency for International Cooperation (ESCO), Karla de Palma, were also present.

The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund is financed with UK International Development funds from the UK Government. BLF supports poverty reduction, biodiversity protection and conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes across six biologically diverse landscapes worldwide. One of which is the Mesoamerica Landscape, that covers areas in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In Mesoamerica, the BLF will invest up to approximately $19 million dollars over the next six years. 

In the Trifinio Region of El Salvador, the project´s investment will be close to  $2 million dollars and the activities are being implemented through the organisations the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE). The project is based on four components: 

• Prosperous and resilient communities: activities to develop sustainable income streams and implement climate-adapted rural development with proper social safeguards. 
• Protected areas and species protection: ensuring well-governed conservation areas and targeted protection activities for endangered species.
• Enabling policy and financing mechanisms: building consensus, multisector collaboration, and policy reforms to incentivize forest protection. 
• Learning and adaptive management: implementing a monitoring and evaluation framework as a core component to evaluate impact and guide decision-making.