RIO LEMPA
RIO
LEMPA
Conservation and Restoration Program
EL SALVADOR
Integrated Sustainable Development Impacts
The Program will work in six integrated program areas:
01
Improve water quality and watershed health through an integrated watershed management approach.
02
Better management and efficiency in water use across all sectors, including agriculture, industry and domestic supply.
03
Restore biodiversity and ecosystem services through regenerative agriculture, nature-based solutions (NbS) and green infrastructure.
04
Stimulate economic development and livelihoods, especially agricultural and rural enterprises.
05
Strengthen the capacity for planning, management and monitoring of priority water resources.
06
Strengthen environmental policies and enforcement capacity at local and national levels.
"I am from Lempa, I was born here, I farm here, I want to be here..."
-Rodolfo, Metapán, Rio Lempa.
Water security for people and nature
GOAL 1: Restore ecosystem services, with emphasis on increasing water recharge, improving water quality, and increasing biodiversity.
GOAL 2: Foster social and economic development, with emphasis on resilient livelihoods in rural areas.
Biodiversity: the Rio Lempa is home to internationally recognized wetlands and UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites
The watershed contains two protected areas under the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands, including Lake Güija and the Cerrón Grande Reservoir. These wetland ecosystems are important for migratory birds and aquatic biodiversity, but both are threatened by loss of forest cover, fires, invasive species, and severe pollution.
The watershed also includes UNESCO Natural Heritage sites, including the Apaneca-Ilamatepec and Trifinio-Fraternidad Biosphere Reserves.
Restoring land and water resources through regenerative farming
The Rio Lempa watershed is the agricultural heartland for tens of thousands of families who depend on its land and water to produce crops for food and income. The Program will promote regenerative farming practices and Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) to restore land and water resources, in ways that also increase farm productivity and profitability.
Announcing: World’s Largest Debt Conversion for Conservation of a River and its Watershed Completed in El Salvador
Revitalizing the rio lempa
The Rio Lempa Conservation and Restoration Program is a new 20-year initiative in El Salvador to invest in the revitalization of the Rio Lempa and its watershed, ensuring the long-term human and environmental well-being of El Salvador.
The Program is part of a $350 million commitment for the Rio Lempa, including $200 million for conservation and restoration activities over the next 20 years plus $150 million for an Endowment, which will serve as a source for long-term funding beyond the 20-year Program. This funding is made possible through the world´s largest debt conversion for river and watershed conservation, announced on October 16.
The first 18 months of the program will focus on developing a long-term watershed management plan (WMP) in collaboration with community organizations, NGOs, municipal and district governments, and key government agencies. The specific types of investments will be defined by this collaborative planning process. We will update stakeholders on this process through this website and social media.
Expansion of forest cover on 15,000 hectares of headwaters and water recharge areas. Improvement of 75,000 hectares of agricultural land. Restoration of 5,000 hectares of degraded land through soil and water conservation measures.
Forest cover
Optimize water quality at critical points in the watershed. This includes water sources for domestic use, as well as priority areas of the river and estuaries.
Water quality
Co-invest in improvements to water supply services in urban and rural communities to achieve universal access to water services by 2044; and catalyze investments in wastewater and sound infrastructure.
Drinking water and sanitation
The Lempa River is essential to life in El Salvador
The Lempa River is the longest river in El Salvador, with a watershed covering one million hectares, representing almost half of the country's land area. It has great ecological diversity, including cloud forests, rich coffee agroforestry, productive agricultural valleys, as well as estuaries with wetlands, mangrove forests, coastal fisheries and beaches.
Lempa River: source of energy
The Lempa River is the main source of hydroelectric power generation, with four dams operated by the Executive Commission of the Lempa River (CEL).
In 2022, hydroelectric power accounted for 34% of El Salvador's electricity generation, exceeding 2 billion MWh (Megawatt hours).
