Community-led Mangrove Restoration through Green Life Insurance (Seguro de Vida Verde)

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.