Representatives of the communities of Las Flores learning about the experience of the Junta de Agua de la microcuenca Las Balanzas.
GIZ/Fabiola Budde
The start towards the recovery of the micro-watershed
Representatives of water boards on an exchange tour in the Rio Hondo micro-watershed in San Marcos de Ocotepeque.
GIZ/Fabiola Budde
The process of empowerment of the actors began with exchange tours organized by the Puca Community Foundation, the Forest Conservation Institute (ICF) and the municipality of Las Flores with advice from the PROCAMBIO project, implemented by GIZ.
These exchanges took place in the micro-watersheds of Las Balanzas (in the Güisayote Biological Reserve) and Río Hondo (in the municipality of San Marcos), both in the department of Ocotepeque, where a green fund and the Compensation Mechanism for Ecosystem-Water Services (MCSEH) have been implemented.
- The communities were aware that it was necessary to start protecting the micro-watershed if they wanted to guarantee water supply.
- Communication between the grassroots organizations and the municipal authorities and institutions present in the territory allowed for adequate coordination.
- Knowing the experience of the water boards of the Las Balanzas and Rio Hondo micro-watersheds allowed us to identify how to solve the main challenges at the time of implementing the compensation mechanism and the green fund.
- Inter-institutional coordination is key to ensure the participation of all organizations and actors involved in the process.