In order to avoid generating expectations or contradictions among the different stakeholders in the area of influence, prior to the consultation process with potential beneficiaries, a broad process of socialization of the project was carried out with local authorities, indigenous organizations, community representatives, describing the project, its scope and coverage.

A diagnosis of the situation of the Lenca communities was then carried out in order to strengthen knowledge of their culture and determine probable approaches for consultation.

Based on the diagnosis and socialization, we proceeded to shape the process of direct consultations with the communities about the project, its implications and the potential participation of the communities.

For the inception phase of the Project and based on the analysis of the local context, the process of Free, Prior and Informed Consultation with the Lenca Communities was planned and designed.The preparation of the FPIC consisted of selecting the methodological tools and instruments that, validated in the institutional practice of the SNV, would allow for consultation in an environment conducive to overcoming the challenges imposed by the work in the project's area of influence, characterized by partiality and foreign interests that generated distrust or the perception of partiality to the project.

This block refers to the set of activities and processes that strengthen the exchange of information and experiences related to the design, implementation and monitoring of the solution. This allows building a shared knowledge base with the potential to facilitate the adaptation process and accelerate innovation and expected change/adjustments.

The main activities are:

• Formation and training of commissions to recover local narratives that interweave actors, perceptions, experiences, knowledge and changes that are triggered throughout the adaptation process,
• Systematization of the solution to identify lessons learned and confirm the results of the process.
• Elaboration and dissemination of materials with great communicative power that show the territory, the actions carried out and the main protagonists of the adaptation process.

The SbN citizen monitoring exercise is a useful tool in the analysis of better solution alternatives for local communities, but also to promote good governance and transparency, since it allows citizens to learn about the problems and challenges of ecosystem-based adaptation actions and to propose complementary alternatives for improving social organization, diversifying economic activities, new governance practices, among others:

• to know the problems and challenges of ecosystem-based adaptation actions and the proposal of complementary alternatives for the improvement of social organization, diversification of economic activities, new governance practices, among others.
• Raise realistic expectations about collective action and better understand their role as contributors to local well-being.
• Recognize the relationship between adaptation to climate change and local development that responds to the needs, demands and realities of vulnerable groups.

The block shows the actions taken to establish the relationship between livelihoods and ecosystems, with emphasis on the benefits they provide: services and functions that are the most important part of the natural capital of our communities.

Capacity building on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA)

• The EbA approach oriented the analysis of livelihood vulnerability, the choice of measures of biodiversity use and ecosystem services, showing how they help people and their livelihoods to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and indicators for monitoring the solution.

Actions in the territory

• Establishment of 2 community nurseries with a production of 9,226 native plants with which 67.5 ha. of riparian zones were reforested.
• Participation in the benefits derived from the restoration of riparian zones.
• Community reforestation in riparian zones contributing to the health, livelihoods and well-being of local communities, taking into account the needs of women and the poor and vulnerable.

The purpose of this block is to generate tools to understand and evaluate the impacts and opportunities that biodiversity and ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change offer in the face of climate change conditions. To this end, three types of training processes were developed:

Valuation of ecosystem services

• Awareness-raising actions on the role of riparian ecosystem services in reducing the vulnerability of livelihoods to floods.

Increased climate resilience of livelihoods,

• Workshops for the elaboration of impact chains (community analysis of the vulnerability of their livelihoods).
• Workshops to define and prioritize actions for adaptation to climate change.
• Working meetings for the analysis and development of the implementation strategy.

Actions in the territory

• Training and formation of the AbE Squadron (group of women and men in charge of seed collection, location of sites to be reforested and planning of activities for this purpose).

The purpose of this block was to build an enabling environment for political advocacy in favor of the adaptation of municipal natural and social systems that are vulnerable to current and future climate impacts. To achieve this, two components were worked on:

Enabling conditions

• Workshops to integrate biodiversity values into climate change adaptation strategies and municipal development planning processes and to reduce socioeconomic and environmental conditions that exacerbate climate impacts.
• Establishment of agreements and synergies between ejido, municipal, state and federal authorities, as well as education and research centers to support the integration of ecosystem-based adaptation into municipal development planning and improve governance of natural assets.

Coordination mechanisms

Consolidation of horizontal and vertical networks through consultation and working groups that facilitated the development of the adaptation process:

• The Expert Working Group.
• The Municipal Adaptation Council
• The Community Working Group
• The Peasant Learning Communities

Regular monitoring of the NEPL NP’s ecotourism program is essential to ensure the conservation objectives as well as continuous visitor satisfaction and therefore the overall project sustainability. The NEPL NP ecotourism program monitors the following information:

• Wildlife monitoring is adapted to the ecotourism area and incorporates all or some of the following techniques: Camera trapping, GPS recorded all direct/indirect observations, Species recording of direct observations.
• Financial data is entered in the system for every tour and is analysed on monthly and annual basis
• Visitor Feedback data is collected from all visitors after every tour and allows to identify and improve tour services at the best delay as well as offers an opportunity to consider new ideas and further improvement needs.
• Visitor Arrival and Profile is collected from all visitors on every tour and allows to identify the visitor trends and profile and therefore better understand and communicate to the market, as well as identify new opportunities.

Two ranger stations are located in the two NEPL NP ecotourism sites. The law enforcement teams in the ecotourism area apprehend illegal activities, protect the tourism infrastructures and contribute data to the Ecotourism Benefit Fund calculation. In addition, the NEPL NP ecotours deliver benefits to the NEPL NP law enforcement program through the following activities: (1) regular presence in NEPL NP, (2) illegal activity identification (3) communication on the protected area's regulations to communities & visitors

The NEPL NP ecotourism program directly and indirectly creates skills and capacity building opportunities and awareness raising for the following groups: (1) NEPL NP ecotourism team itself (2) Ecotourism communities and service providers (3) Visitors, TOs and the government counterparts.

When NEPL NP program began in 2010, tourism was almost non-existing in the region. By offering an opportunity to learn to the locals and recruiting tourism consultants to support, the NEPL NP ecotourism staff now has grown into some of the most experienced ecotourism professionals in the country. Most of these staff come from the NEPL NP villages and are from a former hunter households or even used to be hunters themselves. By working with the NEPL NP, staff have learned about the importance of conservation and today are well acknowledged ecotourism officers and conservation advocates. Some of the NEPL NP’s ecotourism staff have raised up to key NEPL NP management and advisory positions.

The NEPL NP ecotourism team now creates and coordinates ecotourism training opportunities and outreach campaigns. In addition, NEPL NP ecotourism program has a non-negligible awareness raising power that benefits all visitors as well as TOs and the government counterparts.