Güergüerense: a successful case of community participation for the restoration of the micro-watershed
Solution complète
Exchange of experiences between water management boards in the Las Balanzas micro-watershed, in the Güisayote Biological Reserve, a protected area of the Trifinio Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve.
GIZ/Fabiola Budde
Five years ago, deforestation in the upper part of the Güergüerense micro-watershed sounded the alarm among the population of the municipality of Las Flores that something was not right with the water flow in this area located in the Cacique Lempira Señor de las Montañas Biosphere Reserve (RBCLSM), in western Honduras.
The increase of the agricultural frontier has been a trigger to alert and seek a solution, since these practices threaten not only the water recharge zones, but also the core zone of the protected area.
This is the story of how the water boards, national authorities, local governments, civil society organizations, and international cooperation, articulated actions for the implementation of a Compensation Mechanism for Ecosystem-Water Services (MCSEH), with which to guarantee the water supply in the area.
Dernière modification 25 Jul 2023
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Contexte
Défis à relever
In order to recover the forest cover and increase the water supply, the communities surrounding the micro-watershed had to overcome the following challenges:
- Recover 70% of the micro-watershed's ecosystem, i.e. recover the forest deforested as a consequence of extensive agriculture and cattle ranching.
- Strengthen the eight water boards, as the community organizations had been weakened in recent years.
- Raise the communities' awareness of the environmental problems that would arise if deforestation in the upper part of the micro-watershed was not stopped.
Emplacement
Las Flores, Department of Lempira, Honduras
Central America
Traiter
Résumé du processus
Working on the approach and implementation of the Compensation Mechanism for Ecosystem-Water Services (MCSEH) with community participation is the key for the communities to empower themselves and take ownership of the mechanism.
The communities surrounding the Güergüerense micro-watershed are a clear example of coordination between local authorities, grassroots organizations, educational centers, non-governmental and civil society organizations, together with international cooperation agencies, which join efforts to ensure water resource management.
To generate behavioral changes, it is essential to develop actions for the restoration and protection of micro-watersheds that stimulate citizen participation, such as clean-up days, solid waste collection and classification, reforestation campaigns, tours, talks and drawing contests. In short, educate and sensitize the communities about the importance of the microsequences for the life of human beings and for the biodiversity of the Cacique Lempira Señor de las Montañas Biosphere Reserve.
Blocs de construction
The start towards the recovery of the micro-watershed
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.
Facteurs favorables
- 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.
Leçon apprise
- 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.
Green background
The Green Fund or Environmental Fund is part of the Compensation Mechanism for Ecosystem-Water Services (MCSEH) and is created with the financial contribution of water subscribers in the communities, who, in addition to paying the monthly fee for drinking water service, contribute a surplus earmarked exclusively for environmental management in the micro-watershed.
The municipality, commonwealths, private enterprise, and international cooperation also contribute to this fund. In the case of the Güergüerense Green Fund, its creation means economic resources for the purchase of land within the micro-watershed to be used for forest regeneration and reforestation.
Facteurs favorables
- The full municipal corporation demonstrated its commitment to the population and the water resource by approving the creation of this fund, establishing a 50% contribution, while the communities earmarked the other 50% for the purchase of land.
- The Environmental Fund is also earmarked for fencing off water intake sites, water quality analysis and gauging.
Leçon apprise
- A strategy was implemented to raise awareness among the families that owned the land adjacent to the micro-watershed, which was intended for crops or livestock, and these lands were acquired for reforestation and forest regeneration.
- Natural regeneration contributes to guaranteeing the water supply in the municipality, which is why fencing off the land is necessary to guarantee the water supply.
- The areas surrounding the micro-watershed were reforested with timber and fruit trees.
Environmental education
An environmental education strategy was implemented to sensitize the population about the importance of restoring and protecting the micro-watershed. To this end, together with the Puca Community Foundation, tours of the micro-watershed were conducted with different groups of the population. In addition, open meetings were held, organized by the municipality of Las Flores, on environmental issues and the participation of women in natural resource management, among others.
Facteurs favorables
- The participation of the educational centers through the educational networks promoted environmental awareness not only among students of all ages, but also among their families who participated in the environmental tours of the micro-watershed.
- The municipal councils are an excellent way to achieve citizen participation in the management of natural resources.
- The willingness and desire of the communities to restore the micro-watershed contributed to the success of the implementation of the Compensation Mechanism for Ecosystem Water Services (MCSEH).
Leçon apprise
- Environmental education workshops in the micro-watersheds, town council meetings and community assemblies are instruments that raise awareness and empower the population about the importance of natural resources.
- It is important in environmental education processes, the full participation of citizens, from all the groups involved in the strategy, to the population in general.
Impacts
A Compensation Mechanism for Ecosystem-Water Services (MCSEH) was implemented and a green fund or environmental fund was created to purchase land in the micro-watersheds for forest regeneration and reforestation.
Capacity building processes, town council meetings and community assemblies were held with the participation of water boards, landowners in the micro-watersheds, producers, cattle ranchers, technicians from the organizations involved, and the general population.
In addition, environmental education activities were carried out with the water boards, students, teachers, youth networks and producers.
The municipal authorities and the community bases were coordinated through clear and direct communication processes that sought to coordinate actions to guarantee the restoration of forest cover in the micro-watershed.
Exchange visits were made to other micro-watersheds in western Honduras, where the water boards of the Güergüerense micro-watershed learned about the challenges faced by their peers when they began working to protect their micro-watersheds.
Bénéficiaires
Some 5,000 people in the following communities are supplied with water:
1. Casco Urbano
2. Coalaca
3. Mongual
4. La Cañada
5. Piedra Pintada
6. El Copante
7. Guanás Arriba
8. Guanas Abajo
Objectifs de développement durable
SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation
SDG 13 – Climate action
SDG 15 – Life on land
Histoire
For Argueta, the integral development of the reserve is based on natural resources; money can be made from any paper, but water and oxygen cannot be produced with just anything.
GIZ/Fabiola Budde
Deforestation for coffee and basic grain crops, as well as for cattle ranching, was evident. In addition, the water flow had begun to diminish, affecting not only the population of the municipality's urban center, but also the eight communities that draw water from the micro-watershed, recalled Mario Torres, president of the Association of Municipal Boards of Güergüerense.
Like most of the municipalities within the territory, basic grains and coffee are the main crops grown in the buffer zone of the Montaña de Puca Wildlife Refuge (RVSMP), one of the three protected areas that make up the biosphere reserve.
"The population had to be aware of what it meant to protect the micro-watershed, because if action was not taken immediately, the communities would run out of water," said Paulino Argueta, vice-president of the Güergüerense Water Association.
For her part, Dora Luz Pineda, treasurer of the Water Board of the Guanas Abajo community, said that the participation of women is important in these processes because "women are aware that they need water to carry out all the activities in their homes, so it is necessary that we get involved with the water boards, that we know how water arrives from the micro-watershed to our kitchens, we have to know how to give it the best use and maintenance".
In this sense, capacity building processes, town council meetings and community assemblies were held with the participation of the water boards, landowners in the micro-watersheds, producers, ranchers, technicians from the organizations involved and the population in general.
In addition, environmental education activities were carried out with the water boards, students, teachers, youth networks, and producers.
