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Germany
finances green cities program in Costa Rica
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Government of Germany, through the Federal Ministry of Environment, will finance the Biodiver_City Project, which is about protecting biodiversity and preserving natural systems in cities. The project is developed through the German organization GIZ with the support of the Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has been working in Costa Rica since the early 1960s. According to the Ministry, the goal of the Biodiver_City Project is to contribute to creating greener cities in a participatory manner, connecting urban ecosystems and improving the quality of life of its inhabitants through the incorporation of the benefits that nature offers in urban planning. To achieve this, Biodiver_City establishes joint actions with the government, community, and municipalities of 7 cantons: Tibás*, Goicoechea*, Curridabat*, Alajuelita*, San José*, Montes de Oca*, and La Unión*. In this way, it strengthens management capacities in the interurban biological corridors on the banks at the Torres River* and María Aguilar River*, in San Jose. At a time when citizens are increasingly demanding spaces that improve their quality of life, the Biodiver_City Project develops actions to protect biodiversity and preserve natural systems in urban areas. "The inhabitants who live in cities depend on urban ecosystems and the benefits they give us green spaces that allow for recreation, give us physical and mental health, healthy soils that allow rainwater to infiltrate avoiding floods, vegetation that cleans the air to breathe, carbon sequestration helping to mitigate climate change and create a more pleasant microclimate for people, among many more benefits, " said Maike Potthast, director of the Biodiver_City Project. According to the Ministry, the Greater Metropolitan Area, known as GAM, includes the provinces of San Jose, Heredia, and Alajuela, it is the largest and most densely populated urban area in Costa Rica. GAM is 4 percent of the territory where 2.6 million people live, which is more than 50 percent of the country's population. The Biodiver_City Project project will focus on developing more green spaces within the city. More information about this project, you can get it at GIZ site here.* ---------------------------- Have you worked as a volunteer in programs to develop green cities? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com |
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