Today, the Technical Panel of the Global Conservation Standard approved the first project on Costa Rican territory. At the same time, the GCS signed a partnership agreement with the proponent in the Central American country often cited as the „Central American Switzerland“.
The project site is the Central Volcanic Mountain Range north of Costa Rica’s capital San José. The highly heterogeneous 1,900 square km project area, out of which 550 square km are permanently protected shows a high potential for a variety of economic activities, like ecotourism, organic fruit production, cooa and coffee, but also water an hydro-energy services.
FUNDECOR is a Costa Rican Non-Governmental Organization founded in 1989 through international cooperation. From that moment on, it has been fostering a development model in the country´s Central Volcanic Mountain Range Conservation Area that has proven that conservation and economic growth can coexist in harmony. By addressing local environmental issues, FUNDECOR has developed innovative and effective solutions in the region that have a strong and widespread global impact.
Fundecor aims to seize this opportunity to catalyze sustainable development in the region, in partnership with GCS—an organization that mobilizes international private sector resources to invest in forests as well as in projects that enhance community resilience and reduce climate change vulnerability.Fundecor’s and GCS’ joint project promotes the conservation of forests and forest diversity in the Atlantic Coast of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range. The initiative has an integrated landscape approach, and seeks to use biodiversity conservation credits to remunerate forest property owners for 30 years of conservation efforts. The initiative is compatible with any type of payments for environmental services.
The funds mobilized through biodiversity conservation credits will be distributed between the property owner and the community, generating both individual and collective benefits.
After this visit, GCS and Fundecor plan to seekpartners, raise funds, and implement an inclusive and participatory management plan.
For more information, please visit www.fundecor.org.
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