Communities in the Paz River basin are employing mangrove restoration, unblocking freshwater channels, removing silt in mangrove canals, and conducting a community surveillance program enforcing a Local Plan for Sustainable Extraction to strengthen and recover the local wetland ecosystem. 

Coastal communities in the Paz River basin of El Salvador are directly dependent on ecosystem services provided by the surrounding wetlands. However, the integrity and reliability of these ecosystem services are threatened by sea level rise, mangrove loss, increased incidence of droughts, saltwater intrusion, and flooding. Therefore, local NGO Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña (UNES) is implementing various ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation aiming to counter these adverse impacts. First, the organisation is working to unblock and remove silt from channels and mangrove canals in the river basin to recover the hydrodynamics of the ecosystem so that freshwater can enter and restore optimal salinity levels in the mangrove system. Second, UNES is promoting the restoration of degraded mangrove areas which include areas felled for livestock grazing. Seeing as unsustainable fishing practices are known to contribute to the destruction of the mangrove ecosystem, UNES designed and implemented a Local Plan for Sustainable Extraction (PLES) to ensure that local livelihoods dependent on fish, crustaceans, and mammals align with conservation needs. In order to enforce this PLES, a community surveillance program has been established. This surveillance program is made up of a rotation of local volunteers who identify and monitor key sites for indiscriminate mangrove felling and unsustainable fishing.