World Environment Day
A proposal by the Salvadoran government to develop tourism projects along the country’s coastline threatens mangrove forests and local communities, Friends of the Earth El Salvador and social organizations and communities of Bajo Lempa in El Salvador said on June 5, 2013, World Environment Day.
A video testimony released on June 5, 2013 shows that mangrove forests, such as the one of La Tirana in the coast of El Salvador, are part of a complex ecosystem that protects coastlines from erosion and filters coastal waters. Communities living in and around these forests depend on this natural resource for their livelihoods and care for the biodiversity of these fragile ecosystems.
A second video testimony shows how, by saving and exchanging his seeds, a small farmer in El Salvador preserves biodiversity and contributes to fighting hunger.
Communities living in and around these forests depend on these natural resources for their livelihoods and care for the biodiversity of these fragile ecosystems.
High resolution photos of Bajo Lempa communities members are available on our flickr channel.
The Salvadoran government is debating a key proposal, which is part of a US$ 277 million aid program from the United States, and could sign it in September 2013.
In May 2013 social organizations and communities in Bajo Lempa declared their intention to continue developing a ‘Food Sovereignty’ process with an agroecological focus, which includes protecting local seeds, defending the soil and preserving water sources.
