Workshop on Monitoring the REFORES Project Strengthens Climate Resilience in Central America

• CATIE and WRI advance in planning activities for disaster risk mitigation in prioritized territories of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

From Monday, May 27th to Friday, May 31st, the REFORES-Forest Restoration for Climate Resilience project held a follow-up workshop on activities and synergies with partners, aiming to strengthen methodological strategies and the integration of governmental efforts in Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

REFORES is executed by CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), funded by the Adaptation Fund and managed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). It is an effort to strengthen the climate resilience of communities and ecosystems in Central American coastal areas.

The workshop focused on four key purposes: presenting and discussing the project's methodological approach, reviewing the progress of activities and products from the first semester, identifying opportunities for integration with governmental efforts in prioritized territories, and developing a strategy to obtain key inputs to achieve the objectives of the first year of execution.

Topics addressed during the week included a discussion on Adaptation Fund projects, the REFORES project's methodological approach, the diagnosis of the current context of the territories, the follow-up on planned activities and products for the first semester, and the planning of next steps.

Aimed at strengthening the knowledge of the REFORES team, the workshop sought to improve understanding of the current situation in the territories and refine the strategic planning of activities for the initial years of execution.

The workshop included staff from the Forests and Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes and Climate Action Units of CATIE, including national project coordinators for Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala, as well as WRI staff.

Expected outcomes of the workshop include a detailed understanding and discussion of the project's methodological approach, a clear vision of the current context in the territories, the development of a follow-up plan for activities and products, and the creation of an implementation plan for workshops to obtain necessary inputs.