OUR WORK
WATER GOVERNANCE
Š Pablo Cambronero / IUCN
CONNECTIVITY AND PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATION for Ecosystem-based Adaptation in the Sixaola river basin
The Sixaola basin, shared by Costa Rica (81%) and Panama (19%), covers 2,848.3 km2 and rises from the Caribbean shore up to 3820 meters above sea level.
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The binational Sixaola river basin contains eight life zones, according to the Holdridge system, ranging from moist tropical forest to subalpine. The area’s wealth of biodiversity has been internationally recognized as a World Heritage Site, Ramsar site and biosphere reserve (La Amistad International Park). It has also been recognized as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) and key biodiversity area.
Socioeconomic context The Sixaola basin has a population of approximately 33,500 inhabitants. Two of the municipalities with a lower human development index are located in the zone (Talamanca in Costa Rica, and Changuinola in Panama), and literacy rates reach critical levels (6.9% in Talamanca, and 8% of women) Most of the population is mestizo or indigenous, including the Bribri and Cabecar groups in