The Costa Rican Red Cross together with the American Red Cross met last week with residents in Guanacaste to follow up on a climate change mitigation project, reported the Red Cross in a news bulletin.

Community leaders from the coastal towns of Corralillos and La Guinea in the district of Filadelfia, Guanacaste province discussed their progress and advances on a project called “Actions to Reduce the Effects of El Niño and Climate Change in the North Pacific of Costa Rica.”

The Red Cross is coordinating the regional project with financial support from the United State’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and the American Red Cross.

Residents reported on the main problems and strengths present in their communities, in addition to summarizing and evaluating the project-related activities that have taken place to date.

 

Also at the meeting were the mayor of Carrillo, officials from the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), members of the police, representatives of the Municipal Emergency Commission, representatives of local aqueducts in Palmira and Filadelfia, as well as representatives of civil organizations such as the Tempisque River Rescue Association and the Carrillo Women’s Collective Cooperative (Coomurec).

Out of the dialogue held during this meeting, the region’s first Climate Change Coalition was formed. The group will work in a joint fashion to define and carry out efforts to reduce the effects of climate-related phenomenon in northern Guanacaste.

As a result of the meeting, the communities of Corralillos and La Guinea received a commitment by the mayor’s office to aid in applying a molasses solution to roads during the dry season to reduce dust contamination.

The police force committed to prioritize monitoring and stopping illegal activities along the Tempisque River, such as cattle grazing along reforested riverbanks.

The Municipality of Carrillo will be supporting a community awareness campaign on reforestation to support the climate change reduction project.

The Red Cross said the coalition will meet again later this month when other important representatives will be invited including the environment ministry, the sports committee, the ministry of health, and the education ministry.