Manzanillo, Costa Rica: A Women-Led Mangrove Plantation Aids in Combatting the Effects of Climate Change

This case study describes a women-led initiative in Manzanillo, Costa Rica, where community leader Ana Cecilia Solís Ugalde established MUDECOOP, a mangrove nursery and reforestation project. The initiative aims to build climate resilience against tidal waves and flooding, address food insecurity through a communal dining room, and create alternative economic opportunities via community tourism.

• The community of Manzanillo faces significant climate risks and loss and damage due to its location within a mangrove swamp. Over 80% of the community lives in this maritime-terrestrial zone, where sea level rise has caused water to reach the entrances of homes. Climate impacts include floods, strong tidal waves, droughts leading to drinking water shortages, and periods where fishing is impossible.
• The MUDECOOP project, led by Ana Cecilia Solís Ugalde and a cooperative of women, has established the first covered mangrove nursery in the area. The group has planted more than 4,000 mangrove plants to serve as a natural barrier against tidal waves and reduce climate risk.
• To combat food insecurity exacerbated by droughts and the fishing moratorium in the Gulf of Nicoya, the mangrove nursery operates as a communal dining room. This facility provides one meal per day to 100 children from families without income on Saturdays and Sundays.
• The initiative seeks to diversify the local economy and empower women by promoting community tourism as an alternative to traditional income sources. The project is supported by La Ruta del Clima, a Costa Rican NGO that provides capacity-building activities focused on gender equality.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2023). Manzanillo, Costa Rica: A Women-Led Mangrove Plantation Aids in Combatting the Effects of Climate Change. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/manzanillo-costa-rica-a-women-led-mangrove-plantation-aids-in-combatting-the-effects-of-climate-change/

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Manzanillo, Costa Rica: A Women-Led Mangrove Plantation Aids in Combatting the Effects of Climate Change. 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/manzanillo-costa-rica-a-women-led-mangrove-plantation-aids-in-combatting-the-effects-of-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Manzanillo, Costa Rica: A Women-Led Mangrove Plantation Aids in Combatting the Effects of Climate Change |date=11 July 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/manzanillo-costa-rica-a-women-led-mangrove-plantation-aids-in-combatting-the-effects-of-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2023manzanillo, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Manzanillo, Costa Rica: A Women-Led Mangrove Plantation Aids in Combatting the Effects of Climate Change}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/manzanillo-costa-rica-a-women-led-mangrove-plantation-aids-in-combatting-the-effects-of-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }