With the COMDEKS activities in Costa Rica recently completed, the SGP Costa Rica Country Programme recently released a video that was produced within its final COMDEKS programme assessment. The video provides an overview of environmental and socio-economic challenges in the Jesús María River Basin, the COMDEKS target landscape in Costa Rica, and highlights some key activities and achievements through COMDEKS-supported, community-led projects.
The Jesús María River Basin, located in the Central Pacific Region, is one of the most degraded river basins in the country. Small local producers have been experiencing severe soil erosion and lower agricultural and agroforestry yields due to unsustainable farming practices and a lack of suitable irrigation systems with water shortages during dry seasons, which have become longer and more severe due to local climatic changes. Based on the comprehensive landscape strategy developed in 2014, the portfolio of COMDEKS-supported initiatives implementing soil conservation measures; harvesting, managing and storing water for agriculture; promoting organic agriculture; and promoting sustainable livestock practices, among other activities, has considerably contributed to improved SEPL resilience in the Jesús María River Basin, improving livelihoods for local communities and conserving local biodiversity.
For additional information about the COMDEKS activities in Costa Rica, see the case study presented in the publication “A Community-based Approach to Resilient and Sustainable Landscapes: Lessons from Phase II of the COMDEKS Programme”, available here.
For direct access to the video page, click here.
COMDEKS 