Community-managed seed banks and seed exchange fairs are central to conserving agrobiodiversity and ensuring climate resilience in Cotacachi. With support from UNORCAC and its Women’s Central Committee, local farmers maintain and store diverse native varieties of maize, beans, tubers, and medicinal plants. Seeds are selected from each harvest based on quality and stored in traditional clay pots, tanks, and drying racks. The Bioknowledge Centre functions as a seed bank and educational site, hosting 12 varieties of maize and 39 of beans.

The Muyu Raymi Seed Fair, held annually for over 20 years, allows hundreds of producers to exchange seeds and knowledge, including traditional medicine and ancestral cuisine. These events strengthen local seed systems, promote culturally relevant crops, and reduce dependency on external inputs. Exchanges also take place at the La Pachamama Nos Alimenta community fair and through interregional bartering events between highland and subtropical zones.

The crowdfunding campaign is based on multi-stakeholder partnerships, which have enabled its effective design and helped target those most in need.

UNDP BIOFIN supported the conceptualization, development, and implementation of the campaign, in addition to engaging in technical and political dialogues and conducting presentations with potential donors. FUNBAM hosts the operations of the campaign within its structure. Other co-creation partners are the MINAE, responsible for issuing environmental licenses, and FONAFIFO. By leveraging this pool of diverse capacities, the campaign has been effectively designed, successfully attracted donors, and able to operate on Costa Rican public lands. 

When it comes to implementation, it was identified that women, especially those heading households, were particularly affected by COVID-19. Therefore, the distribution of funds collected through the campaign is built on strong local community and gender-based principles. Green jobs for planting and maintenance activities are currently provided through collaborations with 17 implementing partners, nine of which are women-led local organizations.

Throughout the case study process, researchers received valuable ideas and inspiration from a small advisory board. Its members were initially interviewed as environmental education experts and later invited to join the stakeholder board on a voluntary basis. One of the highlights was that the school garden coordinator teacher also became a member of this board, so we had regular input about the hands-on experience with school gardens and outdoor learning spaces. We met with the board twice every year – mostly in person, though occasionally online. During these meetings, we shared our current research findings and sought their advice on the future direction of the project. They also took part in workshops, contributing to the broader success of the PLANET4B project.

The establishment of the school garden and outdoor green learning spaces played a key role in transforming the school’s previously unused green area. A key prerequisite for this was having access to a green space next to the school. What was once a plain schoolyard has been revitalised with plantings and other biodiversity-enhancing tools and measures, like bee pastures and an insect hotel. There was also available green space to allow lessons to be held outdoors.

To achieve the aims of the project, funding was secured through two Horizon Europe research calls, in the form of projects PLANET4B and InSPIRES. Although some parts can be done on a voluntary basis, according to the experts and teachers, some source of funding is essential to support the school and the researchers. Funding can also be used to invest in nature-based solutions, such as insect hotels, to support local biodiversity. Spending money on complementary activities, like the participatory theatre or the photovoice study and related photo exhibition, can further strengthen engagement and environmental stewardship.

The transition from scattered planting by individual villagers to the establishment of a large-scale industry spanning approximately 500 mu (about 33.33 hectares).

Cycad Yam was introduced to Geliping Village, located just outside the reserve's red line. The Protection Center provided germplasm resources and technical support, guiding local villagers in standardized breeding and sustainable planting practices.

Integrated and upgraded plant archives, video surveillance, environmental monitoring, data visualization, and patrol monitoring management systems into the “Smart Cycad Integrated Information Management Platform”, creating an intelligent and informatized management system comprising “one set of archives, three platforms, and five systems”.