Proceedings of the Workshop - Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

In this context buffer zones are defined as any area peripheral to a protected
area, in which activities are implemented that aim at enhancing the positive and
reducing the negative impacts of conservation on neighbouring communities and of
neighbouring communities on conservation efforts (Ebregt & DeGreve 2000). Some
land uses, such as forestry or agro-forestry are particularly suitable for buffer zone
management. These land use systems are potentially beneficial for the ability of wild
life species to move through changing landscapes. Benefits may also result for human
populations that rely on natural resources and on regulating services provided by
(agro-) ecosystems, which are resilient to impacts from climate change (Dudley et al.
2010). However to be effective, these areas must be of sufficient size (Hagerman &
Chan 2009), and landowners must be willing to adjust their activities to have the least
impact on the natural resources as possible. Conservation cannot be separated from
issues relating to human wellbeing, and those involved in conservation are usually also
concerned with social justice and sustainable development (WWF 2004).
The project AMISCONDE (Amistad, Conservación y Desarrollo - Friendship,
Conservation and Development) was a conservation and development initiative in the
buffer zone of the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve (ABR), executed between 1992-2007
with the aim to promote communities’ sustainable development and to improve the
local peoples’ quality of life in the buffer areas of the ABR, reducing pressure on natural
resources of protected areas (Granda & Jiménez 2002). This project was implemented
by Conservation International and the Tropical Science Center (Murillo 2007) and in 23
communities in the buffer zone of the ABR (Fehler! Verweisquelle konnte nicht
gefunden werden.). During those years a broad range of strategies were implemented
with the goal of ensuring sustainability among the development of rural communities
and the environment. It has become evident that many of these measures such as
environmental education, reforestation and biological monitoring, among others,
overlap with some of the strategies currently promoted by Costa Rica’s government as
part of the National Climate Change Strategy.
This paper aims to present a variety of climate change adaptation and mitigation
strategies which have effectively been implemented by the AMISCONDE project
between 2004- 2007 and to discuss the lessons learned during this process. This
information can serve as a basis for future initiatives in protected area buffer zones in
tropical areas within the context of biodiversity conservation and climate change
adaptation and mitigation policies.
2. Material & Methods
2.1. Study area
The AMISCONDE project was implemented between 1992 and 2007 in 23 rural
communities located within the bufferzone of the Amistad Biosphere Reserve (ABR),
between the geographical coordinates 9º24’26’’N and 82º56’20’’W. This reserve covers
an area of 567,845 hectares, ranging in elevation from sea level to 3820 m.a.s.l. (see
Fehler! Verweisquelle konnte nicht gefunden werden.). Most of its area is located in
the Tropical Montane Rain Forest life zone according to Holdridge (1947). Land use in
the study area is dominated by small holder shade grown coffee farms, dairy farming,
subsistence agriculture, and fragmented primary and secondary forests.
2.2. Governmental and private Partners of the AMISCONDE Project
An important aspect of the project’s strategy consisted in its participatory approach, as
it involved different governmental institutions, NGOs, and local groups as project
partners, with the aim to achieve sustainability in time of the actions promoted. These
partners contributed directly to the implementation of the project by facilitating
coordination and co-execution of related activities in the focal communities in which
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