The Salvadoran Centre for Appropriate Technology (CESTA) with international support from: the Danish Organization for External Cooperation (MS), the Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO), the GAIA Project/Sierra Club of BC, and the Australian Service.

The project was undertaken to honour, in a conciliatory manner, the memory of those killed during the armed conflict and to contribute to the struggle for the ecological recuperation of the country. This was done through the planting of the forest and the development of agro-forestry production (livestock, apiculture, fruit trees, etc.).

CESTA negotiated co-operative arrangements with neighbouring communities in order to involve them in educational activities and in the actual work of planting the forest. An effort was made to use a wide variety of native trees. The volunteers, who helped planting, also received workshops on related topics.

The project started in July of 1996 and continues through to the present.

Funding for the project came from FIAES (Americas Investment Fund) and CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency). The money from CIDA was received through the GAIA Project/Sierra Club of BC.

Land resources management, forests, sustainable agriculture.

• To date, planted approximately 70,000 trees in the area. As a result of the planting and educational activities carried out there has been a noticeable drop in fires in the area along with a decline in hunting and the cutting down of trees.

• Promoted sustainable forms of livestock production and routinely provided training sessions for local area residents (on topics related to sustainable agro-forestry practices).

• Constructed the war museum of Guazapa, as part of the conciliatory nature of the project, which includes war artefacts found at the site in addition to educational materials on medicinal plants.

• Importance of involving local people and communities in the project;

• Importance of developing appropriate communication methods with local communities; appropriate methods for sustainable livestock production; appropriate techniques for planting trees and maintaining the forest (including dealing with specific tree problems that have arisen).

• Local communities had the opportunity to learn more about the country’s ecology and about community organization and development.