ECOPA Intersections for Sustainable Living

Ecological stewardship aligns the long-term responsibility we have to take care of our environment with the immediate and basic human need for sustainable economic livelihoods.

Project examples include:

• An environmental policy assessment and economic valuation of the mangrove ecosystem to improve its implementation and functionality, further strengthening institutional capacity and community outreach.
• Socioeconomic survey and assessment of sea turtle egg harvesters along key Salvadoran nesting beaches, informing development of critical sea turtle conservation strategies.

Economic well-being is the ability to satisfy both the immediate and long-term essential human need for sustainable economic livelihoods in safe, supportive and flourishing community environments.

Project examples include:

• A farmer-to-farmer exchange identifying and engaging with the assets, challenges and opportunities the Bajo Lempa region of El Salvador faces with regard to its food system.
• A sustainable fisheries consultancy assessing and strengthening the technical and economic viability of the artisanal fishing model being practiced by fishing cooperatives along El Salvador’s Pacific coastline.

Community empowerment is the ability to live in safe and supportive environments with the skills and decision-making power to build the kind of social and cultural capital that repels violence and prevents further emigration.

Project examples include:

• A public spaces analysis developing strategies to rehabilitate community space and reunite inhabitants around inclusive models of economic and cultural development, expand local enterprise and build entrepreneurial capacity.
• An evaluation and redesign of a small-scale ecotourism network of local communities to enhance their ability to attract visitors, showcase the rich biodiversity of their coastal and bay areas and generate more robust sources of income.

Organizational Capacity comprises the array of skills, technical support and administrative development of community-based and civil society organizations to effect higher quality programmatic work for positive community transformation.

Project examples include:

• An analysis and evaluation of the administrative functions and mission of the Mangrove Association to strengthen the ability of its board and staff to operate more efficiently, enhance their programmatic activities and achieve the desired impact in the communities they serve.
• An assessment of a community agricultural microfinance program, establishing best practices for budgeting, loan administration and organizational sustainability.

ECOPA’s unique approach provides applied, cross-disciplinary learning and experiential development opportunities for emerging professionals in collaboration with seasoned professionals whose areas of expertise directly respond to identified needs and challenges at the community level.

Examples include partnerships with:

• California FarmLink (Central Coast, California)
• EcoViva (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Real Good Fish (Monterey Bay, California)

ECOPA partners with academic institutions, both in the United States and El Salvador, to bring research and knowledge directly to partner communities and to facilitate applied learning opportunities in the field of international development.

Examples include partnerships with:

• University of Washington, Seattle: graduate program in Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Planning
• University of El Salvador: Institute of Oceanography and Limnology (ICMARES)
• The Central American University (UCA): graduate program in Territorial Development