Mangrove forests are incredibly important ecosystems. In a study from 2014, mangrove forests were found to provide ecosystem services (benefits to humans) valued at $194,000 per hectare annually. Today is International Mangrove Day and here are just a few reasons we should care about mangroves – and invest in protecting them: 1. Biodiversity. Home to […]
Salvadoran Communities to Coordinate Major Investment in Mangrove Conservation
$2.5 million destined for locally-led conservation initiatives in the bay The Fund for the Initiative of the Americas, FIAES, a leading environmental funder and conservation organization in El Salvador, announced last month it would be investing $16.6 million over the next five years in the protection of seven wetland areas and nature reserves across the […]
Enlisting Technology to Protect Vulnerable Wetland Ecosystems
Today is World Wetlands Day, and the Salvadoran Ministry of Environment (MARN) announced some thrilling news: it will soon be able to better monitor illegal fishing activity along the coast with the help of state-of-the-art technology. This is a major victory for organizations like EcoViva and ICAPO, together with community allies, who continue to raise public […]
100,000 Sea Turtles Released in El Salvador!
Last week, the community of Montecristo celebrated completing the first phase of the “Quelonia” project, named after the Spanish classification for turtles and spearheaded by FIAES. During the peak of sea turtle season (August-January), community members incubated 125,000 eggs in the community run hatchery and released a total of 100,000 baby sea turtles, surpassing its […]
Former Blast Fisherman Promotes Sustainable Practices
By Tricia Johnson As we drove up to the artificial reef, two separate boats of fisherpeople were waiting for us. They had begun fishing at 6am and even though it was only 10 am, their hats did little to protect them from the strength of the sun’s rays. We pulled up along side the boat […]
