Photo: Save the Waves Coalition
Save the Waves announced earlier this month that Oriente Salvaje, El Salvador has been provisionally nominated to become the 13th World Surfing Reserve (WSR). The move sets into motion a process that will provide conservation efforts to a section of El Salvador’s coast that holds two popular point breaks, Las Flores and Punta Mango, along with 19 total kilometers of surrounding coastline.
“Oriente Salvaje has world-class surf and is also surrounded by a lush biodiverse tropical forest. It is an absolute treasure,” Trent Hodges, Conservation Programs Manager of Save the Waves Coalition said in a press release. “We look forward to supporting the local efforts to protect this special place and work with the El Salvadoran government to officially designate and recognize Oriente Salvaje as the 13th WSR.”
The organization acknowledged that El Salvador’s growing popularity as a destination for surf tourism brings the likelihood of development to the wildly diverse coastal ecosystem. Designating Oriente Salvaje as a WSR provides an opportunity to guide the region down a path of sustainable growth.
“With the government’s tourism sector targeting Oriente Salvaje as ‘Surf City 2,’ the WSR will also work to ensure that the country’s growing love for surfing provides economic benefits to the local communities while protecting the natural environment and the life and waves it harbors,” wrote Save the Waves.
The nomination is just one step in the process toward becoming an official WSR. Save the Waves only selects one World Surfing reserve each year, so Oriente Salvaje had to compete for its recent nomination. Local organizations ADETCO, Sociedad Salvaje Salvadoreño, and Paso Pacifico spearheaded the initiative for Oriente Salvaje after leading conservation initiatives in the area and instituting sustainability standards for the local tourism industry.
“Oriente Salvaje is located within the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Xiriualtique – Jiquilisco (RBXJ), has strong components of quality and consistency of waves for surfing and has developed a great surfing culture and identity,” said Rodrigo Barraza, President of ADETCO and co-owner of Las Flores Resort. “It is a great opportunity and pride to be selected as a WSR to promote conservation as a critical path to success as a sustainable tourism destination, generating guidelines and stewardship that balance development pressure.”
