Last updated: May 2022
The Central Forest Corridor surrounds the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, and provides various ecosystem services to the population, with a particular emphasis on providing water for communities within both the corridor and Tegucigalpa (Ref. 3). However, limited access to water is common across Honduras, attributed to the degradation of watersheds as a result of deforestation and pollution of both ground and surface water (Ref. 1). Climate scenarios further "indicate that existing water scarcity will be exacerbated by climate change and increasing variability"... with "the main urban areas (Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula) and several agricultural areas (Patuca basin)...fac[ing] increased water scarcity in the near future" (Ref. 1).
Location of Central Forest Corridor (CFC) / Corredor Boscosos Central (CBC)
https://www.adaptation-fund.org/projects-document-view/?URL=en/916271538084323449/4137-5839-AF-Honduras-Project-Proposal-Resubmission-03Feb2017-clean.pdf
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Green corridors and green belts
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Effective management
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
Focus
Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems, Improved governance of green or blue areas
Project objectives
"The main objective of the project is to increase climate resilience of the most vulnerable communities in the Central Forest Corridor and the adaptation capacity of its municipalities with emphasis on securing livelihoods and the continued provision of ecosystem goods and services for Tegucigalpa and surroundings".
In order to safeguard the water supplies of Tegucigalpa City and surrounding areas, the project aims to "work to strengthen sustainable land-use practices piloted in the highland watersheds and green belt around Tegucigalpa and instituting financial mechanisms that assist in managing water supply and demand" (Ref. 1).
As highlighted by Ref. 4, the intervention is aligned with three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
1. Build resilience of the poor to climate (SDG 1.5);
2. Integrate climate change into national policies, and planning (SDG 13.2); and
3. Improve learning and capacity on climate change measures (SDG 13.3).
Implementation activities
To address the above sustainability challenges, the following implementation activities have been outlined for the project:
- Restoration of 1,000 ha of pine forest in the CBC, with the areas to be restored being defined by the municipalities within the CBC, and taking into consideration climate change and climate variability (Ref. 3) / "Pine and Mixed Forest areas damaged by drought-induced pest and fire hazards are reforested" (Ref. 2);
- Strategic restoration of forest areas by natural regeneration through effective mechanisms for protection against fires, pests and land-use change, in order to "reduce the incidence of fires, pests, diseases and illegal logging, thus avoiding land-use change", and further taking into account "management of the bark beetle pest...[and] the repercussions of prolonged periods of drought due to climate change and climate variability" (Ref. 3).
- "Drought management adaptation measures implemented to optimize the use of water resources for agriculture and domestic use" (Ref. 2).
- It is a largely "multi-disciplinary and integrated approach, [with] thousands of hectares of forest...being restored [and] agroecological water management practices for farming...being promoted" (Ref. 6). It additionally intends to "train...decision-makers and resource users to better understand the projected impacts of climate change and provid[e] them with the knowledge to identify effective options for reducing climatic risks and vulnerability" (Ref. 1).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement measures that prevent/manage desertification, soil erosion and landslides
- Implement solutions to capture/store water to increase its availability and prevent shortages from droughts
- Increase the use of climate-resilient plant species (resistant to drought, fire, and pests)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Regional government
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The United Nations Development Programme are considered the implementing entity of the project, and the Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, is the executing entity (Ref. 1). As considered by Ref. 3, other stakeholders, and the roles they hold, comprise:
- 14 municipalities: presentation of the project, coordination of project activities such as workshops and forums, and provision of technical support during "Letters of Agreement" (LoA) process;
- Forest Conservation Institute (ICF): technical support during LoA process;
- National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH): Technical support during LoA process; and
- National Observatory of Climate Change for Sustainable Development(ONCCDS): Technical support during LoA process.
The Project Management Unit, Project Coordination Office (OCP-MiAmbiente+), the National Directorate
of Climate Change (DNCC-MiAmbiente+), and the General Directorate of Water Resources (DGRHMiAmbiente+) were further responsible for developing the annual operational plan (Ref. 3).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Multilateral funds/international funding
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved protection against strong wind
- Improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Increased protection against flooding
- Reduced risk of damages by drought
- Green space and habitat
- Increased number of protection areas
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- More sustainable tourism
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Safety
- Improved community safety to climate-related hazards
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Preserved spiritual and religious values
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
Yes
References
1. Adaptation Fund (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa. Washington DC: Adaptation Fund. Source link
2. Adaptation Fund (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa: PROJECT/PROGRAMME PROPOSAL TO THE ADAPTATION FUND. Washington DC: Adaptation Fund. Source link
3. Adaptation Fund (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa: Project Inception Report. Washington DC: Adaptation Fund. Source link
4. United Nations Development Programme Open Planet (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa. New York: United Nations Development Programme Open Planet, Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) Team. Source link
5. United Nations Development Programme (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa. New York: United Nations Development Programme. Source link
6. Derler, Z., and Adaptation Fund (2020). Climate Change Adaptation Projects Continue Amid Coronavirus Pandemic. London: Climate Change News. Source link and
7. The Program on Forests (Profor) (n.d.). In the Face of Climate Change, Investing in Forests Promises to Strengthen Water Supply Resilience in Tegucigalpa. Washington DC: World Bank. Source link.
2. Adaptation Fund (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa: PROJECT/PROGRAMME PROPOSAL TO THE ADAPTATION FUND. Washington DC: Adaptation Fund. Source link
3. Adaptation Fund (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa: Project Inception Report. Washington DC: Adaptation Fund. Source link
4. United Nations Development Programme Open Planet (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa. New York: United Nations Development Programme Open Planet, Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) Team. Source link
5. United Nations Development Programme (n.d.). Ecosystem-Based Adaptation at Communities of the Central Forest Corridor in Tegucigalpa. New York: United Nations Development Programme. Source link
6. Derler, Z., and Adaptation Fund (2020). Climate Change Adaptation Projects Continue Amid Coronavirus Pandemic. London: Climate Change News. Source link and
7. The Program on Forests (Profor) (n.d.). In the Face of Climate Change, Investing in Forests Promises to Strengthen Water Supply Resilience in Tegucigalpa. Washington DC: World Bank. Source link.
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy.