Marking World Environment Day, El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the seventh consecutive year of the “Trees for El Salvador” (Árboles para El Salvador) initiative. This strategic partnership serves as a cornerstone for restoring critical ecosystems, driving the nation toward an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development model that aligns local action with global climate commitments.
Since its launch in 2019, the initiative has successfully transformed international climate pledges into measurable ecological and social benefits. According to MARN, the program has evolved into a robust national strategy that integrates scientific research, seed conservation, and local community work. This concerted effort has yielded the production of more than six million plants across 240 native, forestry, medicinal, and fruit species, ultimately restoring over 6,100 hectares of strategic environmental areas.
A defining factor in the project’s success is its multi-sector collaboration, uniting the public and private sectors, civil society, and local communities. By ensuring that 90% of the 215 tree species planted are native, the program actively recovers local biodiversity while safeguarding the country’s natural and cultural heritage. Officials emphasized that this approach “combines plant production and field actions to improve ecosystem conditions” while directly boosting local economies through sustainable variety.
The international community plays a pivotal role in backing this ecological recovery through the UNDP’s global Climate Promise initiative. Generous funding and strategic support are provided by a coalition of nations—including Germany, Japan, the UK, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Additionally, the initiative integrates cutting-edge sustainable funding mechanisms via the Innovation for Green Finance (IFV LAC) program, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), securing long-term prosperity for future generations.