Expanding blue economy benefits and the conservation of critical biodiversity and ecosystem services by managing surf ecosystems” is a GEF-sponsored, IW project that supports this vision. The project is led by Conservation International in alliance with Save The Waves Coalition and the Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental and the collaboration of government and communities of Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru. Although only recently initiated, the project aims to make big waves.

In an inspiration to the project, project partner Save The Waves Coalition achieved a recent milestone in the dedication of their 13th World Surfing Reserve, Oriente Salvaje, in El Salvador. 

The Oriente Salvaje World Surfing Reserve has over 12 waves in its 19 kilometers of diverse coastline, including the renowned point breaks Las Flores and Punta Mango, and is the first World Surfing Reserve in El Salvador.

“Oriente Salvaje is a truly diverse coastline and deserving of the World Surfing Reserve title. Some of Central America’s last wild dry tropical forests are a backdrop to these world class waves. It really is something special and worth protecting,”

says Trent Hodges, Senior Manager of World Surfing Reserves at Save The Waves Coalition.

The work of the Oriente Salvaje World Surfing Reserve will focus on expanding protected areas in the tropical dry forest, instituting sustainability standards, collaborating on a master plan for development, and working towards marine protection initiatives. All of this work will help safeguard the ecosystems that create the incredible point breaks of help define El Salvador’s eastern coastline.

“This geography is unique on the Pacific slope of Northern Central America. It hosts mature and secondary forests bordering biodiverse and wave-forming rocky reefs. Threatened and endangered wildlife like hawksbill sea turtles, Salvadorean spider monkeys, and Pacific mahogany trees depend on this area,”

says Sarah Otterstrom, Executive Director of Paso Pacifico and member of the WSR’s Local Stewardship Council.

“The vision set forth through the World Surfing Reserve designation will support its sustainable management into the future.”

The full announcement for Oriente Salvaje’s dedication can be found here.  Additional information on Save The Waves Coalition can be found here.

The World Surfing Reserves program is managed and implemented by California-based Save The Waves Coalition, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting surf ecosystems across the globe. The program was launched in 2009 and is comprised of 13 World Surfing Reserves spanning around the world. The World Surfing Reserves program also include Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica  and Huanchaco un Peru, two sites included in the GEF project. The official dedication and environmental commitments of the Oriente Salvaje World Surfing Reserve is an inspiration and model for other projects aimed to protecting surf ecosystems in Latin America. 

About the project

The project aims to demonstrate the critical role that the effective management of marine and coastal ecosystems surrounding the surf breaks can play in protecting biodiversity and ecosystem function, and in generating blue economy benefits that will motivate further ecosystem conservation. The project will collaborate with government and communities to develop the tools and capacity to effectively manage surf ecosystems, support blue economy activities and benefits linked to surf ecosystem management, and share best-practice guidelines and effective approaches for the protection and management of surf ecosystems and building a blue economy. The project is being implemented in Costa Rica, Panama and Peru.

For more information about the project, please contact Christian Lavoie: clavoie@conservation.org  

Words by Christian Lavoie and Lauren Parrino. Photo: Gastoncine.