Hojancha, Nandayure and Santa Cruz in Guanacaste have joined together in a climate change adaptation project.With the support of 50 organizations, from chambers of commerce to public institutions, this plan led by the University for Peace (UPAZ) and the United States Embassy seeks to equip these communities to face environmental challenges.
Construction of climate change scenarios
The initiative has focused on the construction of climate change scenarios and the identification of adaptation gaps in each canton, according to AlexánderLópez, coordinator of the initiative for UPAZ.These results were presented after a year of intense work, involving more than 50 local organizations.
The outlined strategy is based on the adaptation of ecosystems and was presented in Nicoya, marking a milestone by bringing together all the entities involved in the same physical space, which is key to solid governance, according to López, who added that “now the the challenge starting in 2024 is to implement many of these adaptation measures identified for each canton.”
Economic importance in tourism, fishing and aquaculture
The region has been targeted due to its economic importance, particularly in tourism, fishing and aquaculture.However, it faces significant challenges in relation to climate change, demanding greater capacity from local governments to address climate change, water supply and mitigate the impact of possible droughts, among other challenges.
HernánImhoff, President of the CCTT, emphasized the importance of the support of the University and the Embassy, highlighting the willingness of the tourism sector to implement the necessary measures.
“As a tourism sector, we have made ourselves available to researchers so that they can give us the pertinent advice in order to adopt the appropriate measures in this field. It seems to us that with this roadmap we are very well on our way,” said Imhoff.
