PROJECT TITLE: CityAdapt SUSTAINABLE CITYADAPT - BUILDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT GOALS OF URBAN SYSTEMS THROUGH ECOSYSTEM- BASED ADAPTATION (EBA) IN LATIN AMERICA Ecosystem-based Adaptation in El AND THE CARIBBEAN

Salvador, Mexico & Jamaica Establishing sustainable 2017-2022 agriculture practices on 1,000 NATIONAL PARTNERS: hectares, and providing training • Ministry of Environment and Natural in edible mushroom cultivation Resources, El Salvador • Ministry of Land and Environment, Jamaica • Ministry of Planning and Environmental Providing access to reliable Policy, Mexico water supplies for 100+ families and nearly 30 schools and community buildings KEY TARGETS: 194,090 Improving the’ sustainability of Individuals benefitting from the project 3 cities using ecosystem-based adaptation, while reducing 190 flood risk for 115,000 people in Decision-makers and planning officials trained in San Salvador alone. ecosystem-based adaptation

Training 190 planning officials 55+ to integrate ecosystem-based Rainwater harvesting systems and water adaptation into planning processes, while producing a retention structures built range of adaptation tools FUNDING:

Restoring 1,150 hectares of coffee farms and critical ecosystems, along with 3,600m of riparian areas.

IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS:

Mexico: Fondo Golfo de México AC (FGM). Jamaica: Supported by the Least Developed Forestry Department of Jamaica; Jamaica 4H Clubs. El Salvador: Fundación Salvadoreña de Desarrollo y Countries Fund Vivienda Mínima (FUNDASAL); Asociación de Proyectos Comunales de El Salvador (PROCOMES) INTRODUCTION CLIMATE IMPACTS PROJECT LOCATION CONTACTS

• The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region • In Xalapa city in Mexico, fluctuating Project Manager: temperatures and rainfall patterns are is undergoing urbanization at rates twice Marta Moneo the global average. Furthermore, the rapid destabilizing the mountain slopes around the deforestation in urban areas for farming and city, leading to frequent landslides and floods. [email protected] agriculture is worsening the impacts of climate Mexico National Coordinator change. • A Caribbean island home to nearly 3 million people, Jamaica is highly vulnerable to climate Sergio Angon • CityAdapt’s goal is to build the capacity of change, leading devastating floods and [email protected] droughts in the capital Kingston. government and local communities to adapt El Salvador National Coordinator to the effects of climate change through the integration of Ecosystem-based Adaptation • In recent years, climate change has made Leyla Zelaya (EbA) into urban planning. extreme storms more common in El Salvador. [email protected] They are especially harmful around the capital Jamaica National Coordinator • EbA is the holistic strategy of using ecosystems San Salvador, home to over 1 million people. – and the services they provide – to reduce the Shanice Bedward These challenges are worsened by urbanization negative impacts of climate change on people. • [email protected] and deforestation because urban forests • The project is being implemented in 3 cities - provide a buffer and defence against floods, CityAdapt is taking place in 3 cities in El Salvador Xalapa (Mexico), Kingston (Jamaica), and San droughts, and landslides – the 3 main climate (green), Jamaica (yellow), and Mexico (blue) Salvador (El Salvador). hazards facing these cities.

TECHNOLOGIES & METHODS BUILDING EBA KNOWLEDGE MULTIMEDIA & STORIES • CityAdapt is carrying out ecosystem in the 3 countries. This involves training 190 • CityAdapt is generating scientific evidence restoration in the 3 target cities to reduce the decision-makers and planning officials with on urban EbA strategies via research and Kingston Case Study – link impacts of climate change. See Box 1. increased capacity to integrate EbA into urban monitoring partnerships with local universities. • Xalapa Case Study - link development planning. A web-based platform is disseminating this • San Salvador Case Study - link • CityAdapt is conducting vulnerability research (https://cityadapt.com/en/). • assessments to identify the most at risk areas • Video: Regreening San Salvador Box 1. Ecosystem-based Adaptation in to fight climate change - link from climate change, and to understand the Some of the EbA tools, knowledge products, Action • Story: “Sponge City”: San importance of ecosystems in reducing this and trainings developed by CityAdapt include: • Salvador uses nature to fight risk. * Virtual Urban EbA Course with participants • In Xalapa, 3,600m of riparian areas are floods - link being restored to improve river flow to from 14 LAC countries, which will be developed The project is building resilience to drought • Story: Banking on nature: a • prevent floods and droughts, along with further into a Massive Open Online Course - by constructing over 25 rainwater harvesting link Mexican city adapt to climate a 200m connectivity corridor between systems and over 30 other types of water * Protocols on urban wetland and riparian change - link reforested areas, which improves the retention structures. restoration, rainwater harvesting, infiltration health of the ecosystems. ditches, urban food gardens, fruit harvesting, • In Kingston, the project is restoring 2 CityAdapt is collaborating with schools to mushroom production, agroforestry, and • hectares of wetlands to reduce coastal create community crop gardens as a means beekeeping - link erosion and flooding, along with 2.3 of increasing food security and raising public * Vulnerability assessments and technical hectares of an urban park with 1,400 awareness of climate change. guidelines to facilitate officials’ understanding trees. of climate risk - link • In San Salvador, 1,150 hectares of coffee Community members are being trained in * For more, please visit the project website - link • farms and ecosystems are being restored climate-resilient alternative livelihoods, such to reduce flooding and landslides. as edible mushroom cultivation. The project is also creating 62km of infiltration ditches to mimic the drainage In addition, a strategy is being developed to • that streams provide naturally. sustain and upscale EbA across urban areas