Area characterisation:
Marine
Objective:
Fund mangrove restoration via life premiums
Financing:
Private
Potential impacts/benefits:
- 8 ha restored; 26,200 mangroves planted
- 1,892t CO₂ sequestered
Employment for 70 families (60% women) - Coastal flood, erosion, and storm surge protection
- Supports fisheries and water purification
Actions:
Channels part of each life-insurance premium into community-led mangrove restoration at Barra de Santiago; to date 8ha restored and 26,200 mangroves planted, employing 70 families through the women's association AMBAS.
Organisations:
Davivienda Seguros El Salvador, FUNDEMAS, GIZ, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), Asociación de Mujeres de la Barra de Santiago (AMBAS)
Contacts:
Case study referred by UNEP FI. For more information, please contact: info@naturance.eu.
Davivienda Seguros El Salvador's Green Life Insurance (Seguro de Vida Verde) channels a part of each policy premium into community-led mangrove restoration at the Barra de Santiago Ramsar site, an 11,500-hectare protected area that has lost 60% of its mangroves over the past 50 years. Working with FUNDEMAS and GIZ, the programme funds the local women's association AMBAS and surrounding communities to restore degraded mangrove forest. To date, 8 hectares have been restored and 26,200 mangroves planted, sequestering an estimated 1,892 tonnes of CO₂ and providing paid employment to 70 families (60% women). The restored mangroves function as nature-based coastal defences, buffering storm surge, erosion and flooding, while also supporting fisheries, water purification and local livelihoods. The product has been operational for over 12 years, with the mangrove-specific focus at Barra de Santiago running since approximately 2019. In 2025, Davivienda extended the model with a collective SME version of the product.
Sustainable Development Goals:
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15. Life on land
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13. Climate action
