Central America

TroFCCA in Central America (TroFCCA-CA) will work in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras. Forests are important elements of the national development strategies of these countries as they are, likewise, key factors for socio-economic development. Beyond the provision of timber for export and wood for local construction, fuel wood and processing, forests provide other goods and environmental services that benefit some socio-economic sectors. In particular, forests located in mountain regions are essential for their hydrological services, important for the power generation industry, as well as for the provision of water, important for agriculture and for households.

Given the importance of forests and forest ecosystems for economic development in Central America, TroFCCA-CA intends to put these systems in the context of development policies. Processes that affect forests, as is the case of climate change, are likely to hinder development. Different climate change scenarios suggest that temperature and rainfall will be changing over the next 30 years. In particular, available data suggest that temperature will increase between 1 to 3°C and that rainfall will decrease from 0.5 to 13% relative to current annual averages. Two extreme weather events are, therefore, anticipated: droughts will be more severe in current dry zones, specially in the Pacific Basin, and more episodes of heavy rainfall will be more likely.

TROFCCA is seeking to become relevant for the institutions engaged in the design of development policies and those in charge of the National Communications under the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change. The Project will set forth several platforms to interact with national institutions and actors from Central America, to integrate adaptation strategies and actions plans into the development plans at the national levels.

TROFCCA-CA is being executed by the Global Change Group (GCG), part of the Natural Resources and Environment Department in the Tropical Center for Agricultural Research Training & Education –CATIE- located in Turrialba, Costa Rica. The Project began its activities in June 2005, and since then, has been developing several actions related to gathering information on climate and climate variability in Central America, studying the relationship between forest and water, and assessing potential effects and impacts to climate change. The Project strategy will be centered in the subject of “Forest and Water for People and Energy” given the strong relevance of this subject for sustainable development.

TroFCCA Central America Flyer (2,3 MB)

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