FIFCO Water Positive Project.

FIFCO Water Positive Project.

The project seeks to return the water used in productive activities to the environment through conservation and landscape restoration actions in the Central Valley watersheds of Costa Rica. Two main schemes are implemented: forest protection, where landowners commit to maintaining forest cover for five years to prevent erosion and runoff; and natural regeneration, where degraded or grazing lands are allowed to recover naturally over the same period to increase infiltration and reduce erosion.

The estimate of replenished water was carried out with the consulting firm Limnotech, using the SWAT (Soil & Water Assessment Tool) model, analyzing edaphological and meteorological factors such as soil texture, temperature, and daily precipitation with at least 10 years of records. For the year 2026, a total of 150 hectares were accounted for, achieving a replenishment of 156,000 m³ in 150 ha, distributed across 2 private farms within five micro-watersheds of the Virilla and Grande rivers.

 

As a research and monitoring component, Fundecor collaborated with the Universidad Nacional on a methodology based on **stable isotopes (oxygen-18)** to determine the relationship between precipitation and the surface and groundwater systems. Additionally, physicochemical water parameters—such as **pH, conductivity, phosphates, nitrites, and bacteriological contamination**—are monitored, along with soil texture and composition at georeferenced sampling points.

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Contact

info@fundecor.org

+506 2290 8818

San Jose, Costa Rica

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