THE REFORES PROJECT
Restoring Central America’s Atlantic Coast to protect against extreme weather
Living landscapes, resilient communities
The project “Using nature-based solutions to increase resilience to extreme climate events in the Atlantic region of Central America” — REFORES — promotes nature-based solutions to strengthen the climate resilience of communities and ecosystems along the Atlantic coast of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Priority Landscapes
The project operates in three strategic landscapes of the Gulf of Honduras, in Central America’s Atlantic region, with the objective of restoring key ecological goods and services provided by ecosystems, such as soil and riverbank stabilization and reducing communities’ vulnerability to extreme climate events.
Belize: Monkey River Watershed
Honduras: Sierra del Merendon and Cusuco National Park
Guatemala: Cerro San Gil Reserve & Rio Dulce
Components
The project is made up of three pillars: integrating restoration as an adaptation measure into public policies; implementing adaptation measures on the ground; and strengthening capacities and inclusive, culturally relevant knowledge management. These components are implemented in an integrated manner.
1. integrating restoration as an adaptation measure into public policies;
Through workshops and government engagement, the project partners help the decision-makers to incorporate restoration into public policies and land-use plans.
2. strengthening capacities and inclusive, culturally relevant knowledge management
The project works with communities to restore land and to design locally managed early warning systems to protect against the worst effects of extreme weather events. By leveraging Initiative 20×20’s vast partner network, these communities can adopt best practices from coastal restoration sites across the region and share their stories with others looking to improve their climate resiliency.
3. implementing adaptation measures on the ground
REFORES fosters local capacity building, providing knowledge exchanges for communities to gain skills in sustainable land management.
Our Partners
REFORES is funded by the Adaptation Fund. The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) is the regional implementing entity for the project, with technical execution led by the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) and the World Resources Institute (WRI).
