La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (area: 167,310 ha) contains two large coastal lagoon systems including some of the best preserved mangrove forests on the American Pacific. Nestled between ocean and mountains, the reserve is home to fishing, ranching and farming communities. Due to the mountain topography, the latter two activities on the northern slopes of the reserve can rapidly affect the coastal mangrove systems to the south via connected river systems. Climate change and an increase in the frequency of tropical storms results in a cascade of risks: storms damage the mangrove systems and negatively affect the dynamics of fish production and migration, altering the delicate hydrological balance between salt- and freshwater. Increased storm flooding increases sediment flows downriver into the channels and water bodies of the mangrove ecosystems. Flooding carries contamination from ranching and farming activities into them as well. All of the above have the potential to endanger the sustainability of the mangroves and local fish stocks, and thus weaken coastal livelihoods. In response, CONANP has consolidated a community-driven participatory management strategy based on strengthening the sense of identity and belonging of the communities as a central part of the biosphere reserve. Starting with fishing communities, this sense of belonging was promoted by involving the fishermen in the rehabilitation and maintenance of mangrove ecosystems, and hydrological flows. Both contribute to the improvement of local fisheries. Additionally, women and children have also been involved in activities related to the benefits of the sustainable use of local resources for their livelihoods. Community self-organization has been actively strengthened, as well. This has resulted in: i) fishing cooperatives negotiating and regulating amongst themselves to agree and enforce best practices for sustainable fishing, and ii) increasing their capacity to find direct markets for their products, without the need for intermediaries. Community belief in, and ownership of, the solution to sustaining their environment and their livelihoods has been key. To provide adaptive capacity to the fishing communities, in terms of secondary income sources, CONANP has also supported fisherwives to diversify economic activities towards mangrove-related i) ecotourism services, such as bird-watching tours, and ii) niche product production, such as mangrove flower honey.